3β-Acetyloxy-oleanolic Acid Attenuates Pristane-Induced Lupus Nephritis by Regulating Th17 Differentiation

Methyl-supplemented nutrition delays the development of autoimmune disease in pristane-induced murine lupus

The aetiology and progression of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) resulted from a complex sequence of events generated both from genetic and epigenetic processes. In the current research, the effect of methyl-supplemented nutrition on the development of SLE was studied in the pristane-induced mouse model of the disease. The results clearly demonstrated decreased anti-dsDNA antibody and proteinuria levels, modulation of cytokines and protected renal structures in the group of treated mice. An additional increase in the DNA methylation of mouse B lymphocytes was also observed. The beneficial effect of the diet is due to the methyl-containing micronutrients with possible anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating effects on cell proliferation and gene expression. Since these components are responsible for maintaining the physiological methylation level of DNA, the results point to the central role of methylation processes in environmentally triggered lupus. As nutrition represents one of the major epigenetic factors, these micronutrients may be considered novel agents with significant therapeutic outcomes.

Oleanolic acid and its analogues: promising therapeutics for kidney disease

Kidney diseases pose a significant threat to human health due to their high prevalence and mortality rates. Worryingly, the clinical use of drugs for kidney diseases is associated with more side effects, so more effective and safer treatments are urgently needed. Oleanolic acid (OA) is a common pentacyclic triterpenoid that is widely available in nature and has been shown to have protective effects in kidney disease. However, comprehensive studies on its role in kidney diseases are still lacking. Therefore, this article first explores the botanical sources, pharmacokinetics, derivatives, and safety of OA, followed by a summary of the anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-oxidative stress, autophagy-enhancing, and antifibrotic effects of OA and its analogues in renal diseases, and an analysis of the molecular mechanisms, aiming to provide further insights for the development of novel drugs for the treatment of kidney diseases.

Traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of immune-related nephropathy: A review

Immune-related nephropathy (IRN) refers to immune-response-mediated glomerulonephritis and is the main cause of end-stage renal failure. The pathogenesis of IRN is not fully understood; therefore, treatment is challenging. Traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) have potent clinical effects in the treatment of the IRN conditions immunoglobulin A nephropathy, lupus nephropathy, and diabetic nephropathy. The underlying mechanisms mainly include its inhibition of inflammation; improvements to renal interstitial fibrosis, oxidative stress, autophagy, apoptosis; and regulation of immunity. In this review, we summarize the clinical symptoms of the three IRN subtypes and the use of TCM prescriptions, herbs, and bioactive compounds in treating IRN, as well as the potential mechanisms, intending to provide a reference for the future study of TCM as IRN treatments.

Targeting abnormal lipid metabolism of T cells for systemic lupus erythematosus treatment

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks its own tissues and organs. However, the causes of SLE remain unknown. Dyslipidemia is a common symptom observed in SLE patients and animal models and is closely correlated to disease activity. Lipid metabolic reprogramming has been considered as a hallmark of the dysfunction of T cells in patients with SLE, therefore, manipulating lipid metabolism provides a potential therapeutic target for treating SLE. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms for the metabolic events of immune cells under pathological conditions is crucial for tuning immunometabolism to manage autoimmune diseases such as SLE. In this review, we aim to summarize the cross-link between lipid metabolism and the function of T cells as well as the underlying mechanisms, and provide light on the novel therapeutic strategies of active compounds from herbals for the treatment of SLE by targeting lipid metabolism in immune cells.

Progress in traditional Chinese medicine and natural extracts for the treatment of lupus nephritis

Lupus nephritis (LN) is an autoimmune disease with multiple system involvement and is also one of the most serious forms of organ damage in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which is mainly caused by the formation and deposition of immune complexes in glomeruli. More than 50% of SLE patients have clinical manifestations of renal damage. At present, the treatment of lupus nephritis is mainly based on glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants. However, due to adverse drug reactions and frequent recurrence or aggravation after drug reduction or withdrawal, the prognosis remains poor; thus, it is still one of the most important causes of end-stage renal failure. Therefore, new treatment strategies are urgently needed. This article aims to review the application of traditional Chinese medicine and natural extracts in the treatment of lupus nephritis to provide the basic mechanisms of treatment and a new treatment strategy with clear effects and high safety performance.

Bioinformatics analysis of pathways of renal infiltrating macrophages in different renal disease models

Background

Recent studies have suggested that macrophages are significantly involved in different renal diseases. However, the role of these renal infiltrating macrophages has not been entirely uncovered. To further clarify the underlying mechanism and identify therapeutic targets, a bioinformatic analysis based on transcriptome profiles was performed.

Methods

Three transcription profiling datasets, GSE27045, GSE51466 and GSE75808, were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were assessed by Gene Ontology (GO) functional annotation, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA).

Results

The classic signaling pathways and metabolic pathways of macrophages infiltrating the kidney in different pathophysiological processes, including lupus nephritis (LN), renal crystal formation and renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), were analysed. Furthermore, the common classical pathways significantly altered in the three renal disorders were the oxidative phosphorylation, VEGF signaling and JAK/STAT signaling pathways, while the renin-angiotensin system was uniquely altered in LN, the glycolysis and gluconeogenesis pathways were uniquely altered in models of renal crystal formation, and the calcium signaling pathway was specific to renal IRI.

Conclusions

Via bioinformatics analysis, this study revealed the transcriptional features of macrophages in murine LN, renal crystal formation and IRI models, which may serve as promising targets for mechanistic research and the clinical treatment of multiple renal diseases.

The Th17/IL-17 Axis and Kidney Diseases, With Focus on Lupus Nephritis

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a disease characterized by dysregulation and hyperreactivity of the immune response at various levels, including hyperactivation of effector cell subtypes, autoantibodies production, immune complex formation, and deposition in tissues. The consequences of hyperreactivity to the self are systemic and local inflammation and tissue damage in multiple organs. Lupus nephritis (LN) is one of the most worrying manifestations of SLE, and most patients have this involvement at some point in the course of the disease. Among the effector cells involved, the Th17, a subtype of T helper cells (CD4+), has shown significant hyperactivation and participates in kidney damage and many other organs. Th17 cells have IL-17A and IL-17F as main cytokines with receptors expressed in most renal cells, being involved in the activation of many proinflammatory and profibrotic pathways. The Th17/IL-17 axis promotes and maintains repetitive tissue damage and maladaptive repair; leading to fibrosis, loss of organ architecture and function. In the podocytes, the Th17/IL-17 axis effects include changes of the cytoskeleton with increased motility, decreased expression of health proteins, increased oxidative stress, and activation of the inflammasome and caspases resulting in podocytes apoptosis. In renal tubular epithelial cells, the Th17/IL-17 axis promotes the activation of profibrotic pathways such as increased TGF-β expression and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) with consequent increase of extracellular matrix proteins. In addition, the IL-17 promotes a proinflammatory environment by stimulating the synthesis of inflammatory cytokines by intrinsic renal cells and immune cells, and the synthesis of growth factors and chemokines, which together result in granulopoiesis/myelopoiesis, and further recruitment of immune cells to the kidney. The purpose of this work is to present the prognostic and immunopathologic role of the Th17/IL-17 axis in Kidney diseases, with a special focus on LN, including its exploration as a potential immunotherapeutic target in this complication.

Natural products as modulators of retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptors (RORs)

Covering: 1994 to 2020 Retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptors (RORs) belong to a subfamily of the nuclear receptor superfamily and possess prominent roles in circadian rhythm, metabolism, inflammation, and cancer. They have been subject of research for over two decades and represent attractive but challenging drug targets. Natural products were among the first identified ligands of RORs and continue to be of interest to this day. This review focuses on ligands and indirect modulators of RORs from natural sources and explores their roles in a therapeutic context.

Prophylactic and therapeutic roles of oleanolic acid and its derivatives in several diseases

Oleanolic acid (OA) and its derivatives are widely found in diverse plants and are naturally effective pentacyclic triterpenoid compounds with broad prophylactic and therapeutic roles in various diseases such as ulcerative colitis, multiple sclerosis, metabolic disorders, diabetes, hepatitis and different cancers. This review assembles and presents the latest in vivo reports on the impacts of OA and OA derivatives from various plant sources and the biological mechanisms of OA activities. Thus, this review presents sufficient data proposing that OA and its derivatives are potential alternative and complementary therapies for the treatment and management of several diseases.