OBJECTIVETo investigate the application of surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI) protein chip in diagnosis and Chinese medicie syndrome type researching of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

METHODSEighteen female SLE patients of mild/moderate degree with yin-deficiency caused internal heat syndrome (YDHS) were enrolled in the treatment group, and 15 women healthy volunteers was set up as the control group. Using SELDI method, the pre-, mid- and post-treatment peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) protein fingerprint of them was created respectively, which was then managed to screen out the markers by using ZUCI-PDAS package for establishing a diagnosis model.

RESULTSStudy was completed in 15 cases of the treatment group with 2 cases dropped out and 1 case lost. Before treatment, 44 protein peaks in the treatment group were found significantly different to those in the control group (P<0.01), and the sensitivity and specificity of the created models, 10542 Da m/z and 2554 Da m/z, reached 100%. After a 12-week treatment, 30 peaks were found significantly different between the two groups (P<0.01), and the sensitivity of 3365, 7104, 3882 and 6796 Da m/z created peak models was 100%, its specificity being 93.33%. Comparing the 35 samples (pre-, mid- and post-treatment) got from the treatment group with the 15 samples from the control group, significant difference was found in 55 peaks (P<0.01), the sensitivity and specificity of the 7103, 3882, 7143 Da m/z created peak models was 100% and 91.43% respectively.

CONCLUSIONSignificant differences of PBMC protein expression patterns were found between SLE patients of YDHS and healthy persons at times of before, during and after treatment, suggesting that SELDI may be used as a new method to create the diagnosis model, and its application in effecter protein screening, activity scoring and Chinese medicine syndrome type researching are expectable and waiting for further study in depth.