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Updated: Apr 12, 2026
Analyses of Proteinuria, Renal Infiltration of Leukocytes, and Renal Deposition of Proteins in Lupus-prone MRL/lpr Mice
Published on: June 8, 2022
Intrarenal and Urinary Th9 and Th22 Cytokine Gene Expression in Lupus Nephritis
Cathy Choi-Wan Luk1, Lai-Shan Tam1, Bonnie Ching-Ha Kwan1
1From the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, and Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.C.C. Luk, BSc, MPhil, Research Fellow; L.S. Tam, MD, FRCP, Professor; B.C. Kwan, MBBS, FRCP, Associate Professor; P.C. Wong, MBChB, MRCP(UK), Fellow; T.K. Ma, MBChB, MRCP(UK), Fellow; K.M. Chow, MBChB, FRCP(Edin), Associate Consultant, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital, CUHK; F.M. Lai, MD, FRCPA, Professor, Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, Prince of Wales Hospital, CUHK; P.K. Li, MD, FRCP, Consultant; C.C. Szeto, MD, FRCP, Professor, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Prince of Wales Hospital, CUHK.
Objective:
We studied the urinary sediment mRNA level of Th9- and Th22-related cytokines in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Methods:
We quantified urinary mRNA levels of interleukin (IL) 9, IL-10, IL-22, and their corresponding transcription factors in 73 patients with active lupus nephritis, 13 patients with hypertensive nephrosclerosis (HTN), and 25 healthy subjects.
Results:
There was no detectable IL-9 mRNA in all samples. Patients with proliferative lupus nephritis had significantly lower urinary IL-22 mRNA levels than those with nonproliferative nephritis (2.2 ± 5.4 vs 8.6 ± 20.0 copies, p = 0.019), and urinary IL-22 mRNA level inversely correlated with the histological activity index (r = -0.427, p < 0.0001). In contrast, patients with lupus nephritis had significantly higher urinary IL-10 mRNA levels than patients with HTN (7.8 ± 18.5 vs 1.9 ± 4.0 copies, p = 0.012), and urinary IL-10 mRNA levels correlated with its intrarenal mRNA levels (r = 0.337, p = 0.004) and SLE disease activity index (r = 0.277, p = 0.018). Urinary IL-10 mRNA level was significantly lower among patients who achieved complete remission than those with partial remission or no response (4.1 ± 6.5 vs 14.1 ± 28.0 copies, p = 0.036).
Conclusion:
Urinary IL-22 mRNA level is decreased in patients with SLE with proliferative nephritis, while urinary IL-10 mRNA levels correlates with its intrarenal mRNA level and disease activity. Urinary IL-10 mRNA levels may also predict treatment response. These results suggest that urinary mRNA levels of IL-10 and IL-22 might be used as biomarkers for assessing disease activity and risk stratification in lupus nephritis.
