Department of Health Technology and Informatics, Faculty of Health and Social Science, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Oct 24;20(21):5281. doi: 10.3390/ijms20215281.
Lupus nephritis (LN) is one of the most common and severe complications of lupus. However, the mechanisms for renal damage have not been well elucidated. There are evidences show that glomerular endothelial cells (GECs) are damaged in LN. Immune complexes can deposit in subendothelial area and could affect GEC functions. In the present study, we used heat-aggregated gamma globulin (HAGG) to simulate immune complexes and investigated their effects on GEC functions. Our results revealed that HAGG impaired different aspect of the GEC functions. HAGG changed cell morphology, upregulated the expression of active caspase-3, inhibited angiogenesis, and increased NO production in GECs. These results provide new clues for the mechanisms of renal damage and the pathology of LN.
狼疮肾炎 (LN) 是狼疮最常见和最严重的并发症之一。然而，肾脏损伤的机制尚未阐明。有证据表明，LN 时肾小球内皮细胞 (GEC) 受损。免疫复合物可沉积在内皮下区，影响 GEC 功能。在本研究中，我们使用加热聚集的γ球蛋白 (HAGG) 模拟免疫复合物，研究其对 GEC 功能的影响。结果表明，HAGG 损害了 GEC 的多个功能。HAGG 改变细胞形态，上调活性 caspase-3 的表达，抑制 GEC 的血管生成，并增加 NO 的产生。这些结果为肾脏损伤机制和 LN 的病理学提供了新的线索。
