Open Access

Immune podocytes in the immune microenvironment of lupus nephritis (Review)

  • Authors:
    • Ruiling Liu
    • Xiaoting Wen
    • Xinyue Peng
    • Miaomiao Zhao
    • Liangyu Mi
    • Jiamin Lei
    • Ke Xu
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: September 14, 2023     https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2023.13091
  • Article Number: 204
  • Copyright: © Liu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disorder caused by the loss of tolerance to endogenous nuclear antigens such as double‑stranded DNA, leading to the proliferation of T cells and subsequent activation of B cells, which results in serious organ damage and life‑threatening complications such as lupus nephritis. Lupus nephritis (LN) develops as a frequent complication of SLE, accounting for >60% of SLE cases, and is characterized by proteinuria and heterogeneous histopathological findings. Glomerular injury serves a role in proteinuria as podocyte damage is the leading contributor. Numerous studies have reported that podocytes are involved in the immune response that promotes LN progression. In LN, immune complex deposition stimulates dendritic cells to secrete inflammatory cytokines that activate T cells and B cells. B cells secrete autoantibodies that attack and damage the renal podocytes, leading to renal podocyte injury. The injured podocytes trigger inflammatory cells through the expression of toll‑like receptors and trigger T cells through major histocompatibility complexes and CD86, thereby participating in the local immune response and the exacerbation of podocyte injury. Based on the existing literature, the present review summarizes the research progress of podocytes in LN under the local immune microenvironment of the kidney, explores the mechanism of podocyte injury under the immune microenvironment, and evaluates podocytes as a potential therapeutic target for LN.
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November-2023
Volume 28 Issue 5

Print ISSN: 1791-2997
Online ISSN:1791-3004

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Copy and paste a formatted citation
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Spandidos Publications style
Liu R, Wen X, Peng X, Zhao M, Mi L, Lei J and Xu K: Immune podocytes in the immune microenvironment of lupus nephritis (Review). Mol Med Rep 28: 204, 2023.
APA
Liu, R., Wen, X., Peng, X., Zhao, M., Mi, L., Lei, J., & Xu, K. (2023). Immune podocytes in the immune microenvironment of lupus nephritis (Review). Molecular Medicine Reports, 28, 204. https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2023.13091
MLA
Liu, R., Wen, X., Peng, X., Zhao, M., Mi, L., Lei, J., Xu, K."Immune podocytes in the immune microenvironment of lupus nephritis (Review)". Molecular Medicine Reports 28.5 (2023): 204.
Chicago
Liu, R., Wen, X., Peng, X., Zhao, M., Mi, L., Lei, J., Xu, K."Immune podocytes in the immune microenvironment of lupus nephritis (Review)". Molecular Medicine Reports 28, no. 5 (2023): 204. https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2023.13091