L-4F attenuates the injury of lupus nephritis in a lupus mouse model

AIM: To investigate the effects of apolipoprotein A-I mimetic peptide L-4F on the process of nephropathia in apoE-/-Fas-/-C57BL/6 lupus mice. METHODS: The apoE-/-Fas-/-C57BL/6 lupus mice (8~9 weeks old, female) were treated with L-4F by peritoneal injection for 25 weeks. RESULTS: Compared with the vehicle controls, the mice treated with L-4F presented smaller lymph nodes and glomerular tufts (P<0.05), lower serum levels of IgG antibodies to double-stranded DNA (P<0.05) and oxidized phospholipids, as well as lower levels of inflammatory factors including IL-6 and TNF-α (P<0.05). Furthermore, serum adiponectin level in apoE-/-Fas-/-C57BL/6 mice was significantly increased after L-4F treatment for 25 weeks. CONCLUSION: L-4F treatment significantly attenuates the development of lupus nephritis in apoE-/-Fas-/-C57BL/6 lupus mice, indicating a potential clinical value of L-4F in the treatment of lupus nephritis.