Abstract: Objective To study the effect of growth hormone (GH) and PRL (prolactin) on the secretion of Th1/Th2 type cytokines in the patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods The secretion of cytokines in PBMCs stimulated by GH and PRL was detected by ELISA in vitro. Results The results showed that the secretion levels of IL-6 and IL-10 from PBMCs of the SLE patients in active stage were higher than those of the normal controls, and the secretion level of IFN-γ was lower than that of SLE patients in resting stage and the normal controls, but it is of no statistical significance. The secretion levels of IL-6 and IL-10 were significantly increased in PBMC stimulated by GH and PRL, but GH and PRL had no effect on the secretion of IFN-γ. There was no difference on the secretion level of IL-6, IL-10 and IFN-γ when the PBMC was stimulated by GH and PRL. Conclusion GH and PRL might play an important role in the pathogenesis of SLE.

Key words: Lupus erythematosus, systemic, Somatropin, prolactin, Interleukin-6, Interleukin-10, Interferon type Ⅱ