%0 Journal Article %T Renal Expression and Clinical Significance of High Mobility Group Box 1 in Lupus Nephritis %A Huimin Liu %A Jing Geng %A Zhimin Liu %A Baoguo Liu %J Open Journal of Pathology %P 12-19 %@ 2164-6783 %D 2015 %I Scientific Research Publishing %R 10.4236/ojpathology.2015.51003 %X Objective: To evaluate the clinical significance of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) expression in nephridial tissues of lupus nephritis (LN). Methods: Sixty-three patients with active LN and 15 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) (combined without LN) were included. Renal biopsies were performed in the two groups. The biopsies were evaluated according to the World Health Organization (WHO) classification and renal disease activity was estimated using the British Isles lupus assessment group (BILAG) index. Serum levels of HMGB1 were analyzed by western blot. HMGB1 expression in renal tissue was assessed by immunohistochemistry in the two groups. The correlation between HMGB1 and renal active index (AI), chronicity index (CI), pathological type of LN was analyzed. Results: LN biopsies showed WHO class III, IV or V and all patients had high renal disease activity (BILAG A/B). The HMGB1 expression was higher in the LN groups than the control groups (t = 9.263, P < 0.05). It showed positive correlation between HMGB1 expression and SLE DAI classification (r = 0.579, P < 0.05), AI (r = 0.708, P < 0.05) and renal tubule interstitial (TIL) classification (r = 0.815, P < 0.05), and negative correlation between HMGB1 expression and CI classification (r = 0.582, P < 0.05). In all patients, serum levels of HMGB1 increased only slightly in the patients