Consequently, the present study does not elucidate whether the urinary MT concentration can be used as a biomarker for active nephritis in SLE patients in the same way as previously demonstrated for molecules such as vascular cell adhesion molecule 1, P-selectin, soluble TNF receptor 1 and chemokine (C–X–C motif) ligand 16 [31,32]. This evidence concerns the gene VCAM1 and systemic lupus erythematosus.