OBJECTIVETo explore the pathogenetic mechanism of cytopenia in the patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

METHODSTwenty-one patients with SLE and 10 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNC) Coombs test was used to determine the autoantibodies and in vitro CFU-E, BFU-E and CFU-GM yields were used to determine the proliferation function of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HSC).

RESULTSPositive results of BMMNC-Coombs test were observed in 12 patients with SLE (57.1%), among them, 10 with (58.2%) and 2 without blood cytopenia. The yields of CFU-GM (49 +/- 40), and CFU-E (49 +/- 35) in SLE patients without cytopenia were higher than that in normal controls, but lower than that in cytopenia SLE patients. The BFU-E yield in SLE patients (3 +/- 4) was significantly lower than that in normal controls (36 +/- 12).

CONCLUSIONThere were auto-antibodies on BMMNC in patients with SLE. The blood cytopenia in SLE patients maybe resulted from the destructions of bone marrow hematopoietic cells by the autoantibodies. The capacities of bone marrow HSC in SLE patients for proliferation compensation of hematopoietic cell destruction were not damaged.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Autoantibodies ; blood ; Bone Marrow ; immunology ; pathology ; Bone Marrow Cells ; immunology ; pathology ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; immunology ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult