What Does Immunosuppressive Drugs Do in Lupus Nephritis

Lupus nephritis is renal damage caused by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and it is the main complication and cause of death of SLE. It is a kind of nephritis due to disorders in the immune system and the deposition of immune complexes in the kidneys.

In the body of SLE patients, the lymphocyte B is highly active and has rapid proliferation rate. They will produce many antibodies such as anti-nuclear antibodies. These antibodies will attack autoantigens and form immune complexes which can deposit in all the organs and tissues, cause immune reactions and damage these tissues and organs.

The immune complexes that deposit in renal glomeruli will activate the complements through the classical pathway. In addition, white blood cells, platelet and cytokines will further aggravate inflammations in the kidney and worsen renal damages.

Since we have know the underlying cause of renal damages in lupus nephritis, we must be clear why immunosuppressive drugs are used. As its name indicates, immunosuppressive drugs mainly have the functions of inhibiting immune reactions by controlling the proliferation and functions of immune cells (T cells, B cells, macrophages, etc). Immunosuppressants are mainly used to treat rejections after organ transplantation and auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and SLE, etc.

In clinic, treatments for lupus nephritis mainly adopt immunosuppressive drugs and medicines that can control and treat inflammations. The following are the main immunosuppressants.

Cyclosporin

Tacrolimus

Rapamycin

Mycophenolate Mofetil

Mizoribine

Cyclophosphamide

However at the same time of inhibiting abnormal immune reactions, immunosuppressive drugs can also suppress normal immune reactions and lower the patients' immunity and make patients more susceptible to get attacked by various bacteria and viruses. What is more, the symptoms are often easy to relapse if these immunosuppressants are stopped. One solution is to add some Chinese herbal medicines which can not only relieve side effects due to long term intake of these immunosuppressive medicines but also can regulate the disorders of the immune system and enhance the patients' immunity. Of cause, careful medical consultations should be made before taking any additional medicines to avoid undesirable and adverse chemical reactions of these herbal medicines with those patients have been taking. Different medicines will be prescribed by advanced Chinese herbal practitioners according to patients' specific illness condition, physical condition and what kind of immunosuppressive drugs the patients are having, etc.