Clinical significance of serum CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 in patients with lupus nephritis

Study Design

Lupus nephritis (LN) is an autoimmune disease as a complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). LN is typically diagnosed through a combination of clinical evaluation as index scoring, and kidney biopsy as a more accurate but invasive examination. In the current study, we assessed serological markers including IFN-γ-inducible chemokines C-X-C motif chemokine ligand (CXCL)9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 in diagnosing LN.

Methods

A retrospective analysis was conducted on 160 SLE patients with and without LN. Fasting venous blood was collected from the study subjects for measuring serum levels of CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11. The assessment of clinical disease activity in SLE was conducted using the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI)-2000 scoring system. LN disease activity was conducted using the Austin scoring system. LN was further confirmed following kidney biopsy, and data were compared by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.

Results

SLE patients with LN showed longer SLE duration, enhanced SLEDAI scores, lower serum anti-ds-DNA antibody levels when compared to SLE patients without LN. Specifically, these patients had significantly higher serum levels of CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL11. CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 showed positive correlation with SLE disease activity in SLE patients with LN. ROC analysis of CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 showed substantial enhancement of sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of LN in the patients with SLE.

Conclusions

Serum CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 levels may improve the sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of LN in SLE patients.