Clinical features of flare in Japanese patients with new-onset SLE and risk factors for SLE flare in daily clinical practice: a single-center cohort study

This study aimed to elucidate the clinical features, outcomes and risk factors of flares in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Data were collected from patients with newly diagnosed SLE at the Fukushima Medical University Hospital between 2011 and 2022. Patients who experienced a flare during the study period constituted the flare group, and their clinical features were compared with those of the no-flare group. The cumulative flare-free survival regarding several clinical items was compared between the two groups using Kaplan-Meier's curves. Among 387 patients with SLE, 83 patients with newly diagnosed SLE were included. Their mean age was 37.9 years, and 29 patients experienced flares during the study period. The general characteristics were similar between the two groups, with the exception of the observation period and anti-SS-A antibody positivity. Regarding therapy, a significantly increased frequency of hydroxychloroquine intake and combination with immunosuppressive agents were observed in the no-flare group. The Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a significantly higher cumulative flare-free survival in the anti-SS-A negative group and combination immunosuppressive therapy group. In conclusion, anti-SS-A positivity may be a risk factor for SLE flare. In turn, combination immunosuppressive therapy may be beneficial for SLE treatment in daily clinical practice.

Kidney involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus: From the patient assessment to a tailored treatment

In the last few years, several studies have provided new evidence for the diagnosis, management, and follow-up of patients with lupus nephritis. Evidence showing dissociation between clinical and histological findings has prompted reevaluation of the role of the kidney biopsy as a tool for diagnosis and follow-up. In therapeutics, four immunosuppressive schemes now have supporting evidence for use as initial therapy. Current challenges include individualized selection of the best immunosuppressive regimen, an unmet need for non-invasive biomarkers of disease activity to inform treatment responses and guide subsequent therapy, holistic patient management in this complex, multisystem disease, and ultimately the development of more targeted therapies directed at specific effector pathways driving glomerular inflammation and damage in order to improve treatment response. In this communication, we review the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to lupus nephritis, as well as evaluation of response to therapy and disease control.

Lupus Nephritis in Children: Novel Perspectives

Childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus is an inflammatory and autoimmune condition characterized by heterogeneous multisystem involvement and a chronic course with unpredictable flares. Kidney involvement, commonly called lupus nephritis, mainly presents with immune complex-mediated glomerulonephritis and is more frequent and severe in adults. Despite a considerable improvement in long-term renal prognosis, children and adolescents with lupus nephritis still experience significant morbidity and mortality. Moreover, current literature often lacks pediatric-specific data, leading clinicians to rely exclusively on adult therapeutic approaches. This review aims to describe pediatric lupus nephritis and provide an overview of the novel perspectives on the pathogenetic mechanisms, histopathological classification, therapeutic approach, novel biomarkers, and follow-up targets in children and adolescents with lupus nephritis.

Mechanism of Action and Efficacy of Immunosupressors in Lupus Nephritis

Approximately 70% of the patients with systemic lupus erythematosus will have clinical evidence of kidney damage during their evolution. Patients with impaired renal function at onset and those with recurrent flares have a poor prognosis. Understanding the mechanism of action of immunosuppressants is essential for proper prescription. Steroids inhibit the DNA sequence that promotes the release of inflammatory cytokines. Phosphoramide mustard, metabolite of cyclophosphamide, cross-link with the DNA, causing the aggregation of an alkyl group, causing cell death. Mycophenolate inhibits inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase, prevents de novo synthesis of guanine, inducing cell arrest in S phase. Azathioprine blocks the synthesis of purines and induces apoptosis. Calcineurin inhibitors prevent the dephosphorylation of NFAT and reduce the production of interleukin 2. Antimalarials alter the enzymatic release of lysosomes by increasing intravesicular pH. The mechanism of action of rituximab is related to complement-dependent cytotoxicity and the elimination of anti-CD20-labeled B cells. Progress in the knowledge and management of low doses of steroids may change the current paradigm and reduce the frequency of related adverse events. Mycophenolate seems to be a better choice than cyclophosphamide for induction, it is also preferred over azathioprine as a maintenance immunosuppressive agent, although azathioprine is preferred in women with a desire for conception, those pregnant, or with low resources. For treatment-resistant cases, tacrolimus, rituximab or belimumab may be effective. Ongoing clinical trials with new drugs offer promising results.

Long-Term Results of Triple Immunosuppression With Tacrolimus Added to Mycophenolate and Corticosteroids in the Treatment of Lupus Nephritis

Introduction

Addition of a calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) to corticosteroids and mycophenolate increased the renal response rate in lupus nephritis (LN) because of proteinuria reduction, but there is little long-term efficacy and safety data on this triple immunosuppressive regimen.

Methods

This is a cohort study of patients with class III/IV/V LN whose proteinuria persisted despite initial standard therapy with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and prednisolone (PRED), in whom tacrolimus (TAC) was added (target 12-hour trough TAC plasma levels of 4–6 μg/l).

Results

A total of 22 patients with LN treated with triple immunosuppression were included, with follow-up of 61.1 ± 28.1 months. Achieved trough levels of TAC and mycophenolic acid (MPA) were 3.8 to 5.7 μg/l and 1.3 to 2.1 mg/l respectively. Significant proteinuria reduction occurred after 6 months and was sustained up to 5 years. Complete response (CR) and partial response (PR) rates at 12, 24, and 36 months was 59.1%, 72.7%, and 77.3% respectively. The slope of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) over time did not change after TAC was added. A total of 7 patients (31.8%) showed progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD). Two patients reached end-stage kidney disease during follow-up. Renal survival rate at -, 3, and 5 years was 100.0%, 95.0%, and 88.7% respectively. Two patients (9.1%) had renal relapse after 8.5 ± 0.7 months. A total of 5 patients (22.7%) showed worsening of hypertension, and 3 (13.6%) had worsened hyperlipidemia. Other key adverse events included infection (n = 16, 1 in 7 patient-years) and gastrointestinal upset (n = 6).

Conclusion

Triple immunosuppression with the addition of TAC to mycophenolate and PRED resulted in further proteinuria reduction and sustained disease quiescence in patients with LN whose proteinuria did not respond optimally to standard therapy.

Voclosporin: a novel calcineurin inhibitor for the management of lupus nephritis

INTRODUCTION

Kidney survival rates in lupus nephritis (LN) remain suboptimal, with 10-20% of patients progressing to end-stage kidney disease by 10-20 years. Recently, the landscape of LN management has changed with the advent of new molecules that have demonstrated safety and efficacy in clinical trials.

AREAS COVERED

In this review, we approach the current state of LN management, the unmet therapeutic needs, and deep dive into voclosporin, a novel calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) that has demonstrated improved efficacy when added to a mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and glucocorticoid regimen, without an increase in adverse events. We focus on the characteristics of this new CNI and the studies that led to its approval by the US FDA.

EXPERT OPINION

Voclosporin adds to therapeutic options for LN. This drug offers potential advantages over other CNIs. The addition of voclosporin to a standard-of-care regimen of MMF/glucocorticoids demonstrated higher and faster response rates. As other regimens, a combination of CNI, MMF, and glucocorticoids must be individualized and is not appropriate for all patients. Some questions remain to be answered for this regimen, such as the length of treatment, the tapering schedule, and its long-term safety and efficacy for preserving kidney function.

Analysis of the Clinical Effects of the Combination of Mycophenolate Mofetil with Either Tacrolimus or Cyclophosphamide

OBJECTIVES

Here, we aimed to compare the clinical effects of mycophenolate mofetil combined with either tacrolimus or with cyclophosphamide on lupus nephritis (LN) and to analyze their influence on the expression of cystatin C and on transforming growth factor-1 (TGF-β1).

METHODS

A total of 234 patients were randomly divided into two groups: group A, for mycophenolate mofetil combined with tacrolimus (n=117) and group B, for mycophenolate mofetil combined with cyclophosphamide (n=117). The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was adopted to detect the expression levels of serum TGF-β1 and cystatin C before and after treatment.

RESULTS

The total effectiveness rate in group A was much higher than that in group B. The times of effectiveness and effect validity in group A were much lower than those in group B. The expression levels of serum TGF-β1 and cystatin C decreased slightly after treatment in the two groups, and those of group A were much lower than those of group B.

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of mycophenolate mofetil and tacrolimus showed better clinical efficacy on LN and was safer than that of mycophenolate mofetil and cyclophosphamide. Moreover, the drug combination of mycophenolate mofetil and tacrolimus greatly reduced the expression levels of serum TGF-β1 and cystatin C.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Targeted literature review of the epidemiology, current treatment and disease burden in the Asia Pacific region

OBJECTIVE

To understand the epidemiology, current treatment and disease burden of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in the Asia Pacific region (APAC).

METHODS

A targeted literature review of published evidence on SLE in APAC was conducted, using the MEDLINE® database (2008-2018), conference proceedings and other supplementary sources.

RESULTS

The review identified 70 studies conducted in China (n=15), Japan (n=13), Taiwan (n=12), Korea (n=9), Australia (n=7), Hong Kong (n=6), Singapore (n=4), and multiple places within the APAC region (n=4). Incidence rates (per 100,000 per year) ranged from 0.9-8.4, while prevalence rates ranged from 3.7-127 (per 100,000); however, recent data was limited. Asian SLE patients were reported to have higher disease severity, activity (higher SLE disease activity index scores) and organ damage accrual; along with increased morbidity, mortality, and susceptibility to renal involvement compared with other ethnicities in APAC. The risk of developing SLE is higher in the Asian population. Routinely used SLE therapies included belimumab, hydroxychloroquine, cyclophosphamide, tacrolimus, azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil, and corticosteroids; however, prescribing patterns varied across the region. Increased disease activity was associated with high economic burden and poor quality of life for SLE patients in APAC.

CONCLUSION

SLE remains a disease with a significant unmet medical need for an innovative therapy that is well-tolerated and effective for patients in APAC. Further evidence is required to better characterize the disease and fully capture the burden and impact of SLE in APAC. This review has highlighted where there is a paucity of data from patients across the APAC region.

Individualizing Therapy in Lupus Nephritis

The ideal therapeutic approach for lupus nephritis (LN) is to quickly achieve a complete remission and maintain that response long-term while minimizing drug toxicity, and prevent tissue damage and death. The combination therapy consisting of multiple medications is aimed at incorporating drugs with complementary actions at reduced doses to achieve additive or synergistic therapeutic effects while minimizing toxicity. Here, we review the available evidence using combination therapies (triple therapy) and how such strategies can improve therapeutic efficacy in LN, which will mainly focus on the combination of high-dose corticosteroids with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and a calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) at low dose. We discuss the rationale, efficacy, and safety of the therapy, as well as its molecular mechanisms. We also discuss the questions raised from the trials and briefly describe emerging approaches developed on the basis of combination therapy, and these advances that promise to improve on the standard-of-care treatments and toward individual therapy in LN.

Efficacy and safety of tacrolimus in induction therapy of patients with lupus nephritis

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to detect the efficacy and safety of tacrolimus (TAC) in induction therapy of patients with lupus nephritis.

METHODS

Associated studies were extracted from the PubMed and the Cochrane Library on July 10, 2018, and applicable investigations were pooled and analyzed by meta-analysis. Data on complete remission (CR), total remission (TR; complete plus partial remission), proteinuria levels, urine erythrocyte number, albumin, glomerular filtration rate, negative rate of ds-DNA, C₃ levels, C₄ levels, systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLE-DAI), etc, were extracted and pooled using RevMan 5.3.

RESULTS

In the therapeutic regimen of TAC + glucocorticoids (GC) vs cyclophosphamide (CYC) + GC, the results indicated that the TAC group had high values of CR, TR, albumin, and negative rate of ds-DNA, and low values of proteinuria levels and SLE-DAI when compared with those in CYC group (all P<0.05). In the therapeutic regimen comprising TAC + GC vs mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) + GC, the results indicated that the difference of CR, TR, proteinuria levels, and albumin between TAC group and MMF group were not significant (all P>0.05). In the therapeutic regimen comprising TAC + MMF + GC vs CYC + GC, multitarget therapy group showed higher values of CR, TR, urinary protein decline, and rise of serum albumin when compared with CYC group (all P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

TAC is an effective and safe agent in induction therapy of patients with lupus nephritis.

Tacrolimus in non-Asian patients with SLE: a real-life experience from three European centres

Objectives

To analyse the real-life practice on the use of Tacrolimus (TAC) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) from three European SLE referral centres.

Methods

Adult patients with SLE regularly followed at three European referral centres were included. Demographics, cumulative organ involvement, treatment history, Systemic Lupus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI), laboratory features and physician's judgement were collected at baseline and at 3-6-12 months after starting TAC.

Results

29 patients were included (89% female, mean age 38±9 years). Ethnicity was predominantly Caucasian (82%), Black African (11%), Hispanic (3.5%) and Caribbean (3.5%). The main indications for TAC prescription were renal involvement (82.7%), arthritis (10.3%), cutaneous manifestations (6.8%), haematological manifestations (6.8%), serositis (3.4%). At 3 months, there was a clinical improvement in 21 patients (72.4%) and 9 of these experienced a complete resolution of symptoms (31%). This corresponds to: (1) a significant decrease in the mean SLEDAI; (2) a significant decrease in the mean 24  hours proteinuria; a significant increase in C3 and stable creatinine values. At 6 months (n=25), the physician declared an improvement in 19 patients (76%) and a complete resolution of symptoms in 9 (36%). The same trend was observed at 12 months of follow-up. TAC was discontinued in nine pts (31%); reasons for discontinuation were inefficacy (13.8%), drug intolerance (10%) and disease remission (6.9%).

Conclusions

Despite the limitation due to the small number of patients and the uncontrolled nature of the study, these data show that TAC can be considered a valid therapeutic option in patients with SLE, especially for renal involvement.

Era of steroid sparing in the management of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases

Glucocorticoids (GCs) have played a pivotal role in the treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) for a long time. However, GCs also incur a significant risk of undesirable adverse events such as Cushingoid changes, osteoporosis, glaucoma and metabolic abnormalities such as diabetes and hypercholesterolemia, which may lead to life-threatening cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events. High-dose GCs may also cause mental disorders and osteonecrosis. Recently, new therapeutic strategies have been developed to reduce the dose or even eliminate the need for GCs; multi-target drug therapies for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), biological agents such as tocilizumab and rituximab for systemic vasculitis, and anakinra and tocilizumab for adult-onset still's disease. Therefore, the era of GC-sparing or GC-free treatment for IMIDs is on the horizon.