Circulating suPAR in Relation to Renal and Cardiovascular Involvement in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Pilot Study
- 1Department of Translational Medical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Corso Umberto I 40, 80138 Naples, Italy
- 2Center for Basic and Clinical Immunology Research (CISI), WAO Center of Excellence, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
Abstract
Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is an inflammatory biomarker associated with immune activation, endothelial dysfunction, and chronic inflammation. Increasing evidence suggests that suPAR may be involved in renal and cardiovascular injury and may reflect cumulative organ damage in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Serum suPAR levels were measured in patients with SLE and healthy controls. Within the SLE cohort, suPAR levels were further evaluated according to the presence or absence of organ involvement. In this pilot study, serum suPAR levels were significantly higher in patients with SLE than in healthy controls. Within the SLE cohort, patients with renal involvement and those with reduced renal function had higher suPAR levels than their respective comparison groups. Similarly, patients with cardiovascular involvement showed significantly higher suPAR levels than SLE patients without cardiovascular involvement and healthy controls. However, serum suPAR levels were not significantly correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate. Circulating suPAR levels are elevated in SLE and may be particularly associated with renal and cardiovascular involvement. These findings support the potential role of suPAR as a biomarker of cardiorenal involvement in SLE, although its relationship with renal function and clinical outcomes requires validation in larger prospective cohorts.
Related
- Systemic inflammation response index and total cholesterol in relation to the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms.
- Comparison Between Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients with and Without Family History of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus—A Single-Center Retrospective Study
- Germinal center and extrafollicular dysregulation in systemic lupus erythematosus: Mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities
- Recurrent Pericarditis With Cardiac Tamponade in a Patient With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Case Report
- Case report: Incidental finding of a duplicated right vertebral artery in a 17-year-old female with suspected systemic lupus erythematosus
BibTeX
@article{napolitano2026circulating,
title = {{Circulating suPAR in Relation to Renal and Cardiovascular Involvement in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Pilot Study}},
author = {Filomena Napolitano and Ilaria Mormile and Francesca Cevini and Amato de Paulis and Francesca Wanda Rossi and Nunzia Montuori},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27209200},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/20/9200},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Circulating suPAR in Relation to Renal and Cardiovascular Involvement in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Pilot Study
AU - Filomena Napolitano
AU - Ilaria Mormile
AU - Francesca Cevini
AU - Amato de Paulis
AU - Francesca Wanda Rossi
AU - Nunzia Montuori
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27209200
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/20/9200
AB - Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is an inflammatory biomarker associated with immune activation, endothelial dysfunction, and chronic inflammation. Increasing evidence suggests that suPAR may be involved in renal and cardiovascular injury and may reflect cumulative organ damage in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Serum suPAR levels were measured in patients with SLE and healthy controls. Within the SLE cohort, suPAR levels were further evaluated according to the presence or absence of organ involvement. In this pilot study, serum suPAR levels were significantly higher in patients with SLE than in healthy controls. Within the SLE cohort, patients with renal involvement and those with reduced renal function had higher suPAR levels than their respective comparison groups. Similarly, patients with cardiovascular involvement showed significantly higher suPAR levels than SLE patients without cardiovascular involvement and healthy controls. However, serum suPAR levels were not significantly correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate. Circulating suPAR levels are elevated in SLE and may be particularly associated with renal and cardiovascular involvement. These findings support the potential role of suPAR as a biomarker of cardiorenal involvement in SLE, although its relationship with renal function and clinical outcomes requires validation in larger prospective cohorts.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -