Significance of stem cell factor and soluble KIT in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

To determine the significance of stem cell factor (SCF) and soluble KIT (sKIT) in the serum of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), levels of SCF and sKIT in patients with SLE were estimated, and their correlations with clinical parameters were examined. The sKIT levels in SLE patients (n = 106) were significantly lower than those in healthy controls (n = 40). A significant negative correlation was found between the SCF and sKIT levels of SLE patients. Although the SCF levels correlated with the titre of anti-RNP antibody, no significant relationship was found between SCF levels and blood cell counts, such as white blood cell, red blood cell and platelet counts. sKIT levels were significantly correlated with the platelet count, and were negatively correlated with the white blood cell count, titre of anti-DNA antibody, and SLE activity index (SLEDAI). sKIT levels were also negatively affected by high doses of corticosteroid. These results indicate that serum sKIT levels may be more closely related than SCF to the haematological abnormalities in SLE patients, and may reflect the clinical status of SLE patients and the effectiveness of high-dose corticosteroid treatment.