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Lupus nephritis

NRF2, a novel target in steroid-refractory LN?

Nature Reviews Rheumatology volume 12, page 437 (2016)Cite this article

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Although glucocorticoids reduced autoantibody production in mice with pristane-induced LN, their renal pathology (which strongly resembles human lupus glomerulonephritis) did not improve, suggesting that LN in this model is glucocorticoid-resistant. “It is very important for therapy against LN to directly prevent the kidney disease and not necessarily to inhibit the autoantibody production,” Ebihara explains.

The researchers found that TNF-stimulated healthy human renal mesangial cells are similarly resistant to the anti-inflammatory effects of glucocorticoids; this resistance was associated with increased expression of the glucocorticoid receptor β-isoform, which acts as a dominant-negative inhibitor of the α-isoform.

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References

  1. Ebihara, S. et al. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 is a critical target for the treatment of glucocorticoid-resistant lupus nephritis. Arthritis Res. Ther. 18, 139 (2016)

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  1. Caroline Barranco
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Barranco, C. NRF2, a novel target in steroid-refractory LN?. Nat Rev Rheumatol 12, 437 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrrheum.2016.116

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