{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,6]],"date-time":"2026-01-06T09:27:27Z","timestamp":1767691647773,"version":"3.48.0"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,13]],"date-time":"2025-09-13T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1757721600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medicina"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background and Objectives: Variations in kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) and beta2-microglobulin (\u03b22MG) levels, both involved in the pathogenesis of systemic autoimmunity, have been linked to tubulointerstitial lesions in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the significance of KIM-1 and \u03b22MG in the pathogenesis and development of extrarenal manifestations in SLE remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the relationship between KIM-1 and \u03b22MG levels, measured in both serum and urine, and their association with the clinical and biological features of SLE. Materials and Methods: KIM-1 and \u03b22MG levels were measured in 80 adult patients with SLE (who exhibited mucocutaneous, hematological, and renal manifestations) and 30 control subjects. All patients with renal abnormalities related to SLE underwent a renal biopsy. The serum and urinary levels of KIM-1 (measured in pg\/mL for serum and ng\/mL for urine) and \u03b22MG (measured in ng\/dl for serum and mg\/l for urine) were determined for each subject using the ELISA method and immunoturbidimetry, respectively. Results: There were significant differences in the serum and urinary levels of KIM-1 and \u03b22MG between the SLE group and the control group, as well as among subgroups with different manifestations (renal, cutaneous, and hematological). Elevated levels of KIM-1 and \u03b22MG, in both serum and urine, were associated with the clinical activity of the disease, the inflammatory process, and the development of tissue damage in various organs, leading to declines in renal function, hematological disorders, and mucocutaneous manifestations. Conclusions: KIM-1 may play a pathogenic role in kidney injury and disease, while \u03b22MG could have a pathogenic role in both kidney and non-kidney diseases. In summary, KIM-1 characterizes renal involvement, while serum \u03b22MG correlates with the progression of cumulative lesions in SLE patients. Our findings could enhance early diagnosis, predict disease progression, and elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms underlying SLE.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medicina61091663","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,15]],"date-time":"2025-09-15T07:56:51Z","timestamp":1757923011000},"page":"1663","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Clinical and Biological Relevance of Kidney Injury Molecule-1 and Beta-2 Microglobulin in Monitoring Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"61","author":[{"given":"Corina","family":"Ene","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nephrology, \u2018Carol Davila\u2019 University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Nephrology, \u2018Carol Davila\u2019 Nephrology Hospital, 010731 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Cristina","family":"Capusa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nephrology, \u2018Carol Davila\u2019 University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Nephrology, \u2018Carol Davila\u2019 Nephrology Hospital, 010731 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ilinca","family":"Nicolae","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Department, \u2018Victor Babes\u2019 Clinical Hospital for Infectious Diseases, 030303 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Simona","family":"Georgescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, \u2018Carol Davila\u2019 University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Dermatology, \u2018Victor Babes\u2019 Clinical Hospital for Infectious Diseases, 030303 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Cristina","family":"Mitran","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, \u2018Carol Davila\u2019 University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Madalina","family":"Mitran","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Microbiology, \u2018Carol Davila\u2019 University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gheorghe","family":"Nicolae","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Psychology, Babe\u0219-Bolyai University, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4983-7648","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mircea","family":"Tampa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, \u2018Carol Davila\u2019 University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Dermatology, \u2018Victor Babes\u2019 Clinical Hospital for Infectious Diseases, 030303 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Clara","family":"Matei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Dermatology, \u2018Carol Davila\u2019 University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,13]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e70022","DOI":"10.1002\/iid3.70022","article-title":"Biomarkers for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Scoping Review","volume":"12","author":"Zhang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Immun. 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