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Therapeutic effect of leflunomide on the development of experimental lupus nephritis in mice

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Abstract

Mice with chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) induced by transferring parental BALB/C lymphocytes into (C57BL/6 × BALB/C) F1 (CBF1) hybrids, develop a syndrome characterized by B-cell hyperactivity, autoantibody production, and immune complex-mediated glomerulonephritis. In this model, we evaluated the role of leflunomide on the development of lupus nephritis in system autoimmunity. Daily administration of leflunomide (15 mg/kg/d) from 2 weeks after cGVHD induction can dramatically reduce the production of autoantibodies and immune complex deposition in the kidney, leading to relieved kidney damage and reduced mortality. The therapeutic effect of leflunomide on the lupus-prone mice was partially due to the inhibition of TLR9 signaling pathway, which was an important component of innate immune system.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the Department of Molecular Biology, Norman Bethune Medical College, Jilin University for providing technical support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nephropathy, The Second Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, 130041, China

    Xuehong Lu, Man Wu, Shujun Liu & Ping Luo

  2. Department of Immunology, Norman Bethune Medical College, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China

    Chunyan He & Yongli Yu

  3. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pharmacy College, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China

    Zhaowei Yan

Authors
  1. Chunyan He
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  2. Xuehong Lu
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  3. Zhaowei Yan
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  4. Man Wu
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  5. Shujun Liu
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  6. Yongli Yu
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  7. Ping Luo
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Correspondence to Ping Luo.

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Chunyan He and Xuehong Lu contributed equally to this work.

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He, C., Lu, X., Yan, Z. et al. Therapeutic effect of leflunomide on the development of experimental lupus nephritis in mice. Rheumatol Int 32, 633–638 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-010-1630-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-010-1630-z

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