TF, TFPI and Plasmin as Novel Bio-markers in Early Diagnosis of Lupus Nephritis

Urinary levels of plasmin ,TF , and TFPI are all elevated in active LN patients compared to inactive LN patients and healthy controls. All four proteins correlated with systemic disease activity and renal disease activity. Importantly, urine plasmin performed best among the four proteins in discriminating active LN from inactive disease, even better than traditional markers, such as anti ds DNA and complement C3. Furthermore, the combination of urine plasmin and TFPI showed higher specificity and negative predictive values than urine plasmin when compared to anti-ds DNA and complement C3