Serum angiopoietin-2: vascular growth factor looking for a role in lupus nephritis in children with systemic lupus erythematosus

Objective Several lines of evidence demonstrate excessive endothelial activation in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) is an antagonistic ligand of the endothelial-specific Tie2 receptor. It is a biomarker of endothelial cell activation that may be clinically useful in SLE and lupus nephritis (LN). The aim of this work is to study the possible role of Ang-2 as an inflammatory and angiogenic mediator of renal involvement in SLE patients and its correlation with various disease parameters. Patients and methods The present study included 30 patients of SLE divided into two groups: group 1 included 16 patients with LN, and group 2 included 14 patients without LN, and 22 healthy controls of matched age and sex for each patient group. Clinical examination and laboratory investigations including complete blood picture, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, anti-DNA antibodies, serum creatinine, urine analysis, and urinary proteins were conducted. Serum Ang-2 was performed for all SLE patients and healthy controls using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results Ang-2 concentration was significantly increased in patients with SLE in comparison with controls (P<0.001). However, the increase was significantly higher in patients with LN than in patients without LN. Ang-2 was significantly positively correlated with urinary proteins, C-reactive protein, serum creatinine, and platelets. Conclusion Ang-2 may be used as a biomarker for renal involvement in SLE patients. However, a larger sample size study is needed to confirm this result.