Review
Mechanisms of tissue injury in lupus nephritis
1 Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Medical University of South Carolina, 96 Jonathan Lucas St, CSB 912 MSC 637 Charleston, SC 29425-6370, USA
2 Medical Research Service, Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 109 Bee Street, Charleston, SC 29401, USA
Arthritis Research & Therapy 2011, 13:250 doi:10.1186/ar3528
Published: 21 December 2011Abstract
Systemic lupus erythematosus is a prototypic autoimmune disease characterized by autoantibody production and immune complex formation/deposition in target organs such as the kidney. Resultant local inflammation then leads to organ damage. Nephritis, a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with lupus, occurs in approximately 50% of lupus patients. In the present review, we provide an overview of the current research and knowledge concerning mechanisms of renal injury in both lupus-prone mouse models and human lupus patients.
