#AI reads Urine# Anifrolumab Treatment Leads to Rapid Reduction in Urinary Biomarkers of Intrarenal Inflammation in Lupus Nephritis
Published 20 March, 2026
This study was based on the Phase 2 TULIP-LN clinical trial for lupus nephritis, enrolling 112 patients who were divided into an anifrolumab basic regimen group, an anifrolumab intensified regimen group and a placebo group, all receiving standard therapy in combination. Urine samples were collected from the patients at Weeks 0, 12 and 48 of treatment, with 197 proteins detected in the samples. The research focused on analyzing prespecified biomarkers associated with renal histological activity and the expression of proteins detected in more than 75% of the samples. The results showed that at Week 12 of treatment, anifrolumab, especially the intensified regimen, significantly reduced the expression levels of CD163 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in the patients' urine and decreased the detection rates of interleukin-16 and visfatin, and this effect was also observed in patients with proteinuric nonresponse. Proteomic analysis further revealed that anifrolumab was more effective in reducing the proteomic inflammatory signature of intrarenal inflammation, whereas the placebo group did not reach similar biomarker levels as the anifrolumab groups until Week 48, indicating that standard therapy alone can also suppress intrarenal inflammation but with a slower onset of action. The study also found that the improvement effect of anifrolumab on urinary biomarkers was independent of the clinical complete renal response status, and patients with lupus nephritis of mixed pathological types and higher chronicity index had a more significant reduction in biomarkers. In conclusion, the study confirmed that anifrolumab can rapidly reduce urinary biomarkers associated with renal histological activity in patients with lupus nephritis, accelerate the resolution of intrarenal inflammation and potentially reduce the accumulation of renal damage. Meanwhile, it also pointed out the limitations of the study, including a relatively small sample size, the lack of long-term renal outcome data and post-treatment renal biopsy samples.
Arthritis Rheumatol. 2026 Feb 9. doi: 10.1002/art.70089.
Youhe Gao
Statement: During the preparation of this work the author(s) used Doubao / AI reading for summarizing the content. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the published article.
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