Long Non-Coding RNAs as New Biomarkers in Lupus Nephritis: A Connection Between Present and Future

Lupus nephritis (LN) is a severe complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). LN often leads to kidney failure, affecting the quality of a patient's life. There are several classical biomarkers that assist nephrologists’ daily practice. For more than 50 years, anti-double stranded DNA antibodies and complement components C3 and C4 have been used for LN disease activity evaluation. The major obstacle in the usage of conventional biomarkers is that none of them have both high specificity and high sensitivity. Moreover, an invasive kidney biopsy is still the gold standard for renal involvement detection in SLE patients. Therefore, new non-invasive biomarkers are needed for the early and accurate establishment of LN. Among the promising candidates are long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Their dysregulation appears to have predictive and diagnostic potential. Furthermore, these biomarkers like other conventional biomarkers give insight into the pathogenesis of LN. This review aims to summarize the available information on lncRNAs in SLE patients and to present their future opportunities to add to the conventional biomarkers in the diagnosis and monitoring of LN.