MCP-1 in urine as biomarker of renal lupus in absence of cytokines, interferon-γ and growth factors

Abstract

ObjectiveTo characterize 17 immunological markers in the Urine of patients with SLE. IntroductionLupus nephritis is an inflammatory disease affecting the renal parenchyma. Cytokines and chemokines are key immune mediators that have been related with the pathogenesis of the disease. Obtaining non invasive prognosis markers is a highly desirable objective in order to improve the clinical management of these patients. Patients and methodsIn this study we profiled 17 immune mediators (Th1, Th2, Th17 cytokines, chemokines and growth factors) in the urine of 25 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus with active renal disease by using a Biorad© 17-plex kit on a Luminex© platform. A group of healthy volunteers of similar age and comparable sex distribution was recruited as control (n=10). ResultsResults evidenced that the only detectable mediators in urine were IL-8, MCP-1 and MIP-1b. When levels of these mediators were compared between patients and controls, significantly higher levels of MCP-1 were observed in the urine of the patients. MCP-1 levels in urine correlated positively with the SLEDAI score in a significant way and negatively with plasma levels of complement C4. ConclusionsOur results reinforce the role of MCP-1 in urine as biomarker of disease activity in renal lupus, excluding the detection of other soluble immune mediators such as Th1, Th2, Th17 cytokines and growth factors as suitable markers in this non invasive sample.