Anti--enolase antibody combined with 2 microglobulin evaluated the incidence of nephritis in systemic lupus erythematosus patients

Objective Anti--enolase antibody (Ab) combined with 2 microglobulin (2-MG) were investigated to predict the incidence of nephritis in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Methods Levels of serum anti--enolase Ab and urinary 2-MG were detected in 115 SLE patients, 29 SLE patients with nephritis and 70 healthy controls by ELISA and immunoturbidimetry, respectively. Furthermore, the correlation between anti--enolase Ab combined with 2-MG and the incidence of nephritis in SLE patients was evaluated by correlation analysis. Results The optical density value of serum anti--enolase Ab in SLE patients with nephritis (0.84) was greatly increased compared with SLE patients (0.76) or healthy controls (0.54). Moreover, the levels of urinary 2-MG in SLE patients with nephritis (6.75mg/L) were increased compared with SLE patients (3.45mg/L) or healthy controls (1.48mg/L). There was a positive correlation between the level of anti--enolase Ab and 2-MG (r=0.754). Furthermore, anti--enolase Ab combined with 2-MG for evaluating the incidence of nephritis in SLE patients had the best assessment of the effectiveness (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC): 92.7%) compared with only anti--enolase Ab (AUC: 80.9%) or 2-MG (AUC: 84.5%). Conclusion These data suggested that anti--enolase Ab may be a potential indicator for the prediction of nephritis in SLE patients.