[Hereditary mechanism of systemic lupus erythematosus]

The rates of Sister Chromatid Exchange (SCE) were scored in short-term cultivated peripheral lymphocytes taken from 49 SLE patients and 22 of their first degree relatives. Higher SCEs were found in these two groups as compared with the normal controls. The patients' serum levels of Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) were lower while those of their relatives were normal. Addition of SOD was able to induce marked SCE decrease. Our results indicate that SLE is associated with primary DNA repair defect and that the reduction of SOD might play an important role in the development of SLE. and exogenic SOD has certain protective effect on the human body.