Abstract: Objective To study the role of IL-6 in the pathogenesis of SLE.Methods Eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3-IL-6 encoding for IL-6 was constructed,and intramuscularly injected into 12 of 3.5-month-old-male BXSB mice at a dose of 100μg per mouse at an interval of 20 days,and 10 male BXSB mice with same age were injected plasmid pcDNA3 at the same time as control Serum ANA titer and proteinuria were monitored every 10 days,serum level of IL-6,IgG,C3 deposition and IL-6 expression on kidney were detected at the 40th day.Results IL-6 encoding plasmid had harmful effect on murine SLE with increased ANA level,proteinuria,IgG,C3 deposition and IL-6 expression on kidney compared with those of the control mice,but there was no difference on serum GPT levels between the two groups.Conclusion These results support the concept that excessive production of IL-6 might play an important role in the pathogenesis of SLE,which suggests that blocking or inhibiting the production or secretion of IL-6 might be of therapeutic value in SLE.

Key words: Lupus erythematosus,systemic, Interleukin-6, BXSB mice