Calcineurin and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: The Rationale for Using Calcineurin Inhibitors in the Treatment of Lupus Nephritis.

ABSTRACT: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease with a broad spectrum of clinical presentations that can affect almost all organ systems. Lupus nephritis (LN) is a severe complication that affects approximately half of the systemic erythematosus lupus (SLE) patients, which significantly increases the morbidity and the mortality risk. LN is characterized by the accumulation of immune complexes, ultimately leading to renal failure. Aberrant activation of T cells plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of both SLE and LN and is involved in the production of inflammatory cytokines, the recruitment of inflammatory cells to the affected tissues and the co-stimulation of B cells. Calcineurin is a serine-threonine phosphatase that, as a consequence of the T cell hyperactivatio

SUBMITTER: Rafael-Vidal C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7865978 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature