Therapeutic potential of DCB-SLE1, an extract of a mixture of Chinese medicinal herbs, for severe lupus nephritis

The pathogenesis of lupus nephritis is mainly attributable to a complex interaction between the innate and adaptive immune systems, including T and B cell function abnormalities. In addition to autoantibody production and immune complex deposition, Th1 and Th17 cytokines may play key roles in the development and progression of lupus nephritis. Acute onset of severe lupus nephritis remains a challenge in terms of prevention and treatment. In the present study, we evaluated the therapeutic effects of DCB-SLE1, an extract of a mixture of four traditional Chinese medicinal herbs (Atractylodis macrocephalae Rhizoma, Eucommiae cortex, Lonicerae caulis, and Hedyotidis diffusae Herba), on an accelerated severe lupus nephritis model, characterized by acute onset of proteinuria, azotemia, autoantibody production, and development of severe nephritis, induced by twice weekly injection of New Zealand black/white F1 mice with Salmonella-type lipopolysaccharide. DCB-SLE1 was administered daily by gavage starting 2 days after the first dose of induction of lipopolysaccharide, and the mice were euthanized at week 1 or week 5. The results showed that DCB-SLE1 significantly ameliorated the hematuria, proteinuria, renal dysfunction, and severe renal lesions by 1) suppression of B cell activation and decreased autoantibody production; 2) negative regulation of T cell activation/proliferation and natural killer cell activity; 3) suppression of IL-18, IL-6, and IL-17 production and blocking of NF-κB activation in the kidney; and 4) prevention of lymphoid and renal apoptosis. These results show that DCB-SLE1 can protect the kidney from autoimmune response-mediated acute and severe damage through systemic immune modulation and anti-inflammation pathways.