Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0024141 (systemic lupus erythematosus)
 44,322 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Eicosanoids, lymphokines, and free radicals are known to participate in the pathogenesis of inflammation. Tumour necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-1 and 6 (IL-1 and IL-6) and colony stimulating factor -1 (CSF-1) are secreted mainly by activated macrophages, whereas T-cells secrete IL-2, IL-3, IL-4 and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). In addition, activated macrophages and lymphocytes can also produce eicosanoids and free radicals which have potent pro-inflammatory actions. Eicosanoids, lymphokines, and free radicals can modulate the immune response, cell proliferation, stimulate collagenase and proteases secretion and induce bone resorption; events which are known to be associated with various collagen vascular diseases. On the other hand transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) produced by synovial tissue, platelets and lymphocytes can inhibit collagenase production, suppress T-cell and NK-cell proliferation and activation and block free radical generation and seems to be of benefit in rheumatoid arthritis. Drugs such as cyclosporine, 1,25,dihydroxycholecalciferol and pentoxyfylline can block lymphokine and TNF production and thus, may inhibit the inflammatory process. Essential fatty acids, the precursors of eicosanoids, are suppressors of T-cell proliferation, IL-1, IL-2 and TNF production and have been shown to be of benefit in rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and glomerulonephritis. Thus, the interactions between essential fatty acids, eicosanoids, lymphokines, TGF-beta and free radicals suggest that new therapeutic strategies can be devised to modify the course of collagen vascular diseases.
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PMID:Interaction(s) between essential fatty acids, eicosanoids, cytokines, growth factors and free radicals: relevance to new therapeutic strategies in rheumatoid arthritis and other collagen vascular diseases. 172 26

The spontaneous elevation of the transcription of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) gene in broncho-alveolar mononuclear cells (BMC) of individuals with autoimmune diseases with lung involvement, by nuclear run-on transcription assay, is shown in this study. In quantification analysis of TGF-beta gene transcription, we found more than 10 times the enhanced transcription of the TGF-beta gene in BMC of individuals with autoimmune diseases with lung involvement, in comparison to normal healthy subjects or patients with bronchial asthma used as controls. Our observation suggests that TGF-beta, a potent mitogen for fibroblasts, may be produced in BMC during an active immune response in individuals with systemic autoimmune diseases with lung involvement, and may be involved in autoimmune-related pathophysiological changes of cytokine networks in lung involvement such as lung fibrosis.
Lupus 1991 Nov
PMID:Spontaneous activation of transforming growth factor-beta gene transcription in broncho-alveolar mononuclear cells of individuals with systemic autoimmune diseases with lung involvement. 184 59

During the past decade, experimental and clinical evidence has indicated an important role for the renin-angiotensin system in the progressive destruction of nephrons in a wide variety of chronic renal diseases. Studies have indicated that in the subtotally nephrectomized rat model of progressive glomerulosclerosis, in experimental diabetes mellitus, in the chronic phase of puromycin aminonucleoside-induced nephrotic syndrome and in Heymann's nephritis, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors dramatically preserve both nephron structure and function. Clinical studies have similarly noted that chronic administration of ACE inhibitors inhibits progression of renal failure in type I diabetes and type II diabetes as well as primary glomerulopathies, sickle cell nephropathy, systemic lupus erythematosis, chronic pyelonephritis and adult polycystic kidney disease. Current evidence suggests that the beneficial effect of ACE inhibitors is primarily due to inhibition of angiotensin II production, and there is strong suggestive evidence for increases in local intrarenal activation of the renin-angiotensin system in these conditions. In obstructive uropathy, activation of the renin-angiotensin system has also been shown to be an important aspect of the early functional changes and may be of importance in the subsequent generation of interstitial fibrosis. In the obstructed kidney, renin and angiotensinogen production increase and type I angiotensin receptors decrease. Inhibitors of angiotensin II production and angiotensin II action partially reverse the vasoconstriction and the reduced renal blood flow, and abolish the changes in expression of AT1 MRNA induced by obstruction. Studies suggest that the angiotensin-mediated increases in tubulointerstitial fibrosis may be mediated by increased production of transforming growth factor-beta.
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PMID:Angiotensin II-mediated renal injury. 756 81

The present study was carried out to determine whether transforming growth factor-beta, insulin-like growth factor-I and basic fibroblast growth factor mRNA levels were correlated with disease activity in NZB/W F1 mice, an animal model of systemic lupus erythematosus. Levels of mRNA for these three growth factors increased significantly as nephritis progressed in these mice. At 48 weeks of age, transforming growth factor-beta, insulin-like growth factor-I, and basic fibroblast growth factor mRNA levels showed a 11- (p < 0.001), 10- (p < 0.001), and 8-fold (p < 0.001) increase, respectively, in the renal cortex of NZB/W F1 mice when compared with NZW control mice. In NZW kidneys, these mRNA levels showed little change throughout the study period. At 24 weeks of age, NZB/W F1 mice were divided in 2 groups that received either methylprednisolone or saline injections for 24 weeks. The development of histological lesions and the increase in these growth factor mRNA levels in the kidneys of NZB/W F1 mice were both suppressed by methylprednisolone. These results indicate that the transforming growth factor-beta, insulin-like growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor may play a role in the progression of murine lupus nephritis and that methylprednisolone may be an effective treatment at the transcription level of these growth factor genes for this type of nephritis.
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PMID:Effect of methylprednisolone on transforming growth factor-beta, insulin-like growth factor-I, and basic fibroblast growth factor gene expression in the kidneys of NZB/W F1 mice. 768 76

Previous studies in our laboratory demonstrated an altered immuno-endocrine feedback communication via the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which may be an important modulatory factor in the development of spontaneous autoimmune thyroiditis in Obese strain (OS) chickens. These birds show a significantly lower, or even absent, increase in serum glucocorticoid levels in response to an intravenous injection of antigen or conditioned medium (CM) from mitogen-stimulated spleen cells known to contain glucocorticoid-increasing factors (GIFs), notably interleukin-1 (IL-1). The present study was aimed at investigating this feedback regulation in animal models with spontaneous systemic autoimmune diseases, such as the UCD-200 chicken, which serves as a model for human scleroderma, and various murine lupus models. In contrast to OS chickens, UCD-200 chickens displayed a nearly normal plasma corticosterone surge in response to CM, and IL-1 was again identified as the primary GIF in CM. Recombinant IL-1 also induced a drastic increase in plasma corticosterone levels in various strains of normal mice. A similar increase was observed in the bacterial lipopolysaccharide-resistant C3H/HeJ strain, thus excluding the possibility of bacterial endotoxin contamination. However, in young lupus-prone (NZB/W)F1 and MRL/MP-lpr mice, a significantly lower increase in plasma corticosterone levels was observed after injection of recombinant IL-1, suggesting a deficient immuno-endocrine communication via the HPA loop in this instance as well. Detailed studies to identify further cytokines with GIF activity in the avian and murine systems showed that both IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha could induce increased plasma corticosterone levels in mice, but not in chickens. IL-3, IL-8, transforming growth factor-beta, interferon-gamma and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor were devoid of GIF activity in both chickens and mice.
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PMID:Disturbed immuno-endocrine communication via the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis in autoimmune disease. 821 76

Glomerulonephritis is one of the most important complications of SLE. The genesis of the renal lesions in this disorder is determined by a cascade of events that leads to mesangial cell proliferation as one of the hallmarks of the kidney disease. The current study examines the postulate that there may be intrinsic abnormalities in the mesangial cells of the autoimmune host which predisposes it to develop nephritis. It investigates the possibility that growth responses of mesangial cells of the autoimmune MRL/MpJ-lpr/lpr mice are different from those of their congenic normal MRL/MpJ-(+)/+ (MRL-(++)) counterparts when cultured with various cytokines. To test this possibility, growth responses of mesangial cells as assessed by [3H]TdR uptake were measured when these cells were cultured with epidermal growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, transforming growth factor-beta, and 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3. Epidermal growth factor stimulated the growth of mesangial cells of both strains of mice equally, but platelet-derived growth factor appeared to elicit a more pronounced proliferative response from mesangial cells of the autoimmune mice. In regard to inhibitory substances tested, mesangial cells of autoimmune MRL-lpr mice appeared to be relatively insensitive to the suppressive effects of transforming growth factor-beta and 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3. Collectively, the response profile of mesangial cells of the MRL-lpr mice suggests that these cells have a tendency to proliferate when they are acted on by cytokines, so that they may be more susceptible to develop the proliferative lesions seen in the nephritis of SLE.
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PMID:Responses of mesangial cells of autoimmune mice to cytokines. 834 7

The level of bioactive transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) was measured in serum from patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), healthy control subjects, and patients with major depression, systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE), and multiple sclerosis (MS) of both the relapsing/remitting (R/R) and the chronic progressive (CP) types. Patients with CFS had significantly higher levels of bioactive TGF-beta levels compared to the healthy control major depression, SLE, R/R MS, and CP MS groups (P < 0.01). Additionally, no significant differences were found between the healthy control subjects and any of the disease comparison groups. The current finding that TGF-beta is significantly elevated among patients with CFS supports the findings of two previous studies examining smaller numbers of CFS patients. In conclusion, TGF-beta levels were significantly higher in CFS patients compared to patients with various diseases known to be associated with immunologic abnormalities and/or pathologic fatigue. These findings raise interesting questions about the possible role of TGF-beta in the pathogenesis of CFS.
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PMID:Elevation of bioactive transforming growth factor-beta in serum from patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. 908 92

beta 1-integrins, a family of cell-surface receptors, mediate cell-matrix interactions that play a critical role in tissue development and tissue remodeling after injury. In this study, to clarify the importance of beta 1-integrins in human glomerulonephritis (GN), the relationship among the glomerular expression of beta 1-integrins, their ligand matrix components, alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SM actin) as a marker of activated mesangial cells (MC), transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), and glomerular cellularity in two normal kidneys, ten minimal change nephrotic syndrome, 23 immunoglobulin A (IgA) GN, 13 lupus GN, and four membranous GN kidneys were studied. Immunostaining was performed on frozen sections, using monoclonal anti-alpha-SM actin antibody and polyclonal antibodies against fibronectin, collagen type IV, laminin, each subunit of alpha 1 beta 1 (collagen/laminin receptor), alpha 5 beta 1 (fibronectin receptor) and TGF-beta. Quantitation of staining indicated that the glomerular expression of alpha 1 beta 1 and alpha 5 beta 1 integrins correlated with the mesangial amounts of their ligands, collagen type IV, laminin and fibronectin (P < 0.01), alpha-SM actin (P < 0.01), and TGF-beta (P < 0.01). In addition, a correlation was observed between an increased expression of alpha 1 beta 1 and alpha 5 beta 1 integrins and the degree of glomerular cell proliferation (P < 0.01). Double immunostaining showed that activated MC expressing alpha-SM actin strongly expressed alpha 1 beta 1 and alpha 5 beta 1 integrins, and these MC phenotypic alterations paralleled the level of glomerular TGF-beta staining (P < 0.01). In conclusion, enhanced expression of beta 1-integrins by activated MC may contribute to the pathological mesangial remodeling characterized by MC proliferation and matrix deposition in human GN. Increased glomerular TGF-beta appears to be involved in these MC phenotypic changes.
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PMID:Expression of beta 1-integrins on activated mesangial cells in human glomerulonephritis. 935 70

Lupus nephritis results from an acute inflammatory and immunological response to renal immune complex deposition. The acute response is characterized by activation of circulating leukocytes and renal parenchymal cells, triggering the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors. In all too many cases, this response is followed by a chronic response, which is characterized by excessive deposition of collagen and other extracellular matrix macromolecules and the development of end-stage renal disease. Mechanisms underlying this chronic response in progressive renal disease are not adequately defined. In this overview, potential roles of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) production in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis are considered. ROS and TGF-beta may be key elements of a pathway leading to persistent and excessive matrix deposition in progressive lupus nephritis. Further studies to define the role of this pathway in lupus nephritis may lead to the development of additional, more specific therapeutic targets to prevent progression of renal disease.
Lupus 1998
PMID:Mechanisms of progression of renal damage in lupus nephritis: pathogenesis of renal scarring. 988 97

We have investigated the effects of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) gene therapy on the progress of autoimmune disease in MRL-lpr/lpr mice, a murine model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). These mice have uncontrolled proliferation of T cells, an impaired response to T cell mitogen and produce autoantibodies against nuclear antigens, including DNA. Immune complexes formed by these autoantibodies are believed to cause glomerulonephritis and vasculitis in lupus mice and human SLE. Since there is an imbalance of cytokine production in both SLE patients and lupus mice, we examined the effects of cytokine gene therapy on the progression of autoimmune disease in MRL-lpr/lpr mice. The mice were treated orally with a non-pathogenic strain of Salmonella typhimurium bearing the aroA-aroD- mutations and carrying the murine genes encoding IL-2 and TGF-beta. The bacteria synthesise and slowly release the cytokines in vivo. Our results show that, contrary to expectation, TGF-beta gene therapy produced no improvement in pathology and generally had opposite effects to those of IL-2. IL-2 gene therapy restored the defective T cell proliferative response to mitogen and suppressed the autoantibody response, glomerulonephritis and growth of lymphoid tumours.
Lupus 1999
PMID:Modulation of autoimmune disease in the MRL-lpr/lpr mouse by IL-2 and TGF-beta1 gene therapy using attenuated Salmonella typhimurium as gene carrier. 1002 97


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