Negative relationship between expression of glucocorticoid receptor alpha and disease activity: glucocorticoid treatment of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE: Glucocorticoid receptor alpha (GRalpha) is crucial for glucocorticoids (GC) to carry out their physiological and pharmacological roles. Studies have shown the disorder of GR-GC systems in autoimmune diseases. Our study was performed to test the relationship between GRalpha expression and disease activity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS: The responses of 55 patients with SLE to GC were screened. We examined GRalpha mRNA and protein expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from SLE patients and healthy volunteers by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. RESULTS: Expression of GRalpha in patients with SLE was lower than that in controls (p < 0.05). Expression of GRalpha obviously decreased after administration of GC in the steroid-sensitive group with SLE (p < 0.05). Expression of GRalpha was negatively correlated with SLE Disease Activity Index scores in the steroid-sensitive group with SLE. CONCLUSION: The expression of GRalpha in patients with SLE was low and there was a negative correlation between GRalpha expression and disease activity; these findings might provide insight into the pathogenesis of SLE and help to screen whether the patient is sensitive to GC treatment. (Heilungkiang Provincial Health Department Guiding Projects Funding. Trial registration No. 2006-094.).