Translocation of cadmium (Cd) in the tissues of Vicia faba, the water content in biomass, the biomass production, and the glutathione and phytochelatin tissue concentrations were studied and correlated with the plant sensitivity and/or tolerance to Cd. The total concentrations of Cd were determined by inductively coupled plasma/ mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), the concentrations of glutathione (GSH) and phytochelatins 2 and 3 (PC2 and PC3) were determined by on-line high performance liquid chromatography/electrospray-ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS-MS) in the roots and leaves of the sensitive and the tolerant cultivars of V. faba grown in Cd containing nutrient solutions (NS, 0-100 lmol l -1 Cd 2? ). Both the cultivars of V. faba accumulate a major portion of Cd in the roots and only a minor part of ca. 4% in the leaves. The differences between the cultivars concerning Cd accumulation in leaves were apparent from higher Cd concentrations in NS and the Cd amount in the sensitive cultivar was approximately twice as high. In the roots, the differences between the cultivars in the Cd accumulation were only statistically significant with the highest Cd concentrations in NS, with the tolerant cultivar accumulating about 16% more of Cd compared to the sensitive one. The biomass production of the sensitive cultivar decreased approximately twice as fast with increasing Cd concentration in NS. The biomass water content decreased with increasing Cd concentration in NS in both the cultivars. In general, the GSH concentration did not linearly correlate with Cd accumulation, except for the roots of the sensitive cultivar where it was independent, and was higher in the sensitive cultivar than in the tolerant one in both the leaves and roots. The GSH concentration in leaves was approximately one order of magnitude higher than that in the roots for both the cultivars. The relationships between the PC and Cd concentrations in tissues were found nonlinear. At lower Cd accumulation levels, the PC concentrations followed an increase in the Cd accumulation in both the roots and leaves, whereas at higher Cd accumulations the relations differed between roots and leaves. In the roots, the PC concentrations decreased with increasing Cd accumulation, whereas the PC concentration in the leaves followed the decrease in the Cd accumulation.

BackgroundSystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease (1), characterized by the production of autoantibodies, and formation of immune complexes due to the polyclonal activation of T and B lymphocytes that result in tissue and organ damage (2). During inflammation, neutrophils and macrophages release serine proteases to cleave progranulin (PGRN) into granulin (GRN), which exert their pro-inflammatory effects that counteract the anti-inflammatory effects of intact PGRN (3). Insulin-like growth factor-2 (ILGF-2) binds to insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) with high affinity (4). Although reports suggest that IGFBP-2 is a reliable biomarker of renal deterioration, it is still needed to confirm that it has high sensitivity and specificity in discriminating kidney disease caused by SLE from other origins.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to explore whether PGRN and ILGF-2 can be used as useful markers not only for accurate diagnosis of patients with active lupus nephritis (LN) but also for prediction of the disease activity in these patients.MethodsTwenty-five patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, twenty-five patients with chronic renal failure and twenty-five age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers were enrolled in the study. Routine laboratory investigations and measurement of serum PRGN and IGFBP-2 levels were done.ResultsOur results showed that the mean age of SLE, CRF and control groups 31.12±12.34, 38.7±9.4 and 32.96±13.66 respectively with no significant difference between the three groups. There was female predominance in the three groups. Disease duration was 4.78±4.26 in SLE patients.The mean of SLEDAI score was 15.04±7.54. All renal biopsy results were class 2, 3, and 5 with a percentage of 32%, 24%, and 44% respectively.Table 1.Levels of PRGN and ILGF-2 in SLE, CRF and control groupsSLECRFControlPP1P2P3 PRGN, pg/ml2558.92±1170.771814.6±330.281052±276<0.001**<0.001**<0.001**<0.001**ILGF-2, ng/ml26.44±11.556.14±2.253.3±1.7<0.001**<0.001**<0.001**0.148P: Comparison between all groups. P1: comparison between SLE and CRF. P2: comparison between SLE and control. P3: comparison between CRF and control.Table 2.Levels of PRGN and ILGF-2 in relation to SLEDAI score, renal SLEDAI, and Renal biopsyPRGN pg/mlILGF-2 ng/ml SLEDAI score Moderate1945.6±30026.8±11.7 High2072.1±545.520.1±5 Very high4269.2±1106.837.6±12.6 P value0.002**0.006**Renal SLEDAI Inactive2251.2±84123.3±8.9 Active2764.1±133528.6±12.9 P value0.3110.196Renal biopsy Class 22199.31±854.8524.38±13.31 Class 32244.17±767.9723.75±7.01 Class 42992.14±1453.9329.41±12.41 P value0.2700.540SLEDAI: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index. *Statistically significant difference (p<0.05) **Statistically significant difference (p<0.01).ConclusionsPGRN and ILGF-2 are significantly elevated in SLE than CRF and control and were associated with SLEDAI. Hence they are considered specific to LN.References Rahman A, Isenberg DA. (2008) Systemic lupus erythematosus. N Engl J Med 358:929–939.Kotzin BL. (1996) Systemic lupu...

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