Cyclophosphamide treatment for hypertension and renal injury in an experimental model of systemic lupus erythematosus

Low estimated glomerular filtration rate and high body mass index are risk factors for acute kidney injury in systemic lupus erythematosus patients after cardiac surgery

Objective

The occurrence of acute kidney injury (AKI) is common following cardiac surgery, especially among patients characterized with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but studies on this clinical scenario have been limited by the rarity of SLE. We aimed to explore the risk predictors and outcomes with regards to postoperative AKI among cardiac-surgical patients concomitant with SLE.

Methods

This was a single-center retrospective study performed in a tertiary hospital. Adult patients diagnosed with SLE who underwent cardiac surgery within the last 22 years were enrolled. Essential variables, including patient-, surgery- and anesthesia-related information, were collected from the medical record system. The definition of AKI was derived from the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. Risk predictors suspected to be linked with post-surgical AKI were calculated using the univariable and multivariable analyses.

Results

Of all 59 SLE patients undergoing cardiac surgery, 57 were ultimately enrolled into the analysis. AKI occurred in 29 patients (50.9%), who had significantly longer extubation time (median difference 1.0 day, P < 0.001), ICU length of stay (median difference 2.0 days, P = 0.001), postoperative length of stay (median difference 5.0 days, P = 0.026), and more postoperative major complications (odds ratio 10.29, P = 0.025) than the others. Preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 (odds ratio 5.31, P = 0.021) and body mass index (BMI) ≥ 24 kg/m2 (odds ratio 4.32, P = 0.043) were the only two factors in the multivariable analysis that were significantly correlated with the development of postoperative AKI in patients with SLE after cardiac surgery.

Conclusion

AKI in SLE patients after cardiac surgery is common and requires scrutiny, especially in overweight patients with moderate to severe preoperative renal dysfunction.

The STING inhibitor (ISD-017) reduces glomerulonephritis in 129.B6.Fcgr2b-deficient mice

The absence of stimulator of interferon genes (STING) in 129.B6.Fcgr2b-deficient mice rescue lupus phenotypes. The administration of a STING inhibitor (ISD017) into the young 129.B6.Fcgr2b-deficient mice prevents lupus nephritis development. This study mainly aimed to evaluate the effects of STING inhibition (ISD107) on established SLE in mice to prove that ISD017 could be a good therapeutic drug to reverse the already set-up autoimmunity and kidney impairment. Twenty-four-week-old Fcgr2b-deficient mice were treated with cyclophosphamide (25 mg/kg, intraperitoneal, once per week), ISD017 (10 mg/kg, intraperitoneal, three times per week), or control vehicle for 8 weeks, and were analyzed for phenotypes. Both ISD017 and cyclophosphamide treatment increased long-term survival and reduced the severity of glomerulonephritis in Fcgr2b-deficient mice. While cyclophosphamide reduced activated B cells (B220+GL-7+), ISD017 decreased activated T cells (CD4+CD69+) and neutrophils (Ly6c+Ly6g+) in Fcgr2b-deficient mice. In addition, ISD017 reduced IL-1β and interferon-inducible genes. In summary, ISD017 treatment in symptomatic 129.B6.Fcgr2b-deficient mice reduced the severity of glomerulonephritis and increased long-term survival. ISD017 worked comparably to cyclophosphamide for treating lupus nephritis in 129.B6.Fcgr2b-deficient mice. ISD017 reduced activated T cells and neutrophils, while cyclophosphamide targeted activated B cells. These results suggested that STING inhibitors can potentially be a new therapeutic drug for treating lupus.

Underlying Mechanisms and Treatment of Hypertension in Glomerular Diseases

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This review aims to explore the underlying mechanisms that lead to hypertension in glomerular diseases and the advancements in treatment strategies and to provide clinicians with valuable insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms and evidence-based therapeutic approaches for managing hypertension in patients with glomerular diseases.

RECENT FINDINGS

In recent years, there have been remarkable advancements in our understanding of the immune and non-immune mechanisms that are involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension in glomerular diseases. Furthermore, this review will encompass the latest data on management strategies, including RAAS inhibition, endothelin receptor blockers, SGLT2 inhibitors, and immune-based therapies. Hypertension (HTN) and cardiovascular diseases are leading causes of mortality in glomerular diseases. The latter are intricately related with hypertension and share common pathophysiological mechanisms. Hypertension in glomerular disease represents a complex and multifaceted interplay between kidney dysfunction, immune-mediated, and non-immune-mediated pathology. Understanding the complex mechanisms involved in this relationship has evolved significantly over the years, shedding light on the pathophysiological processes underlying the development and progression of glomerular disease-associated HTN, and is crucial for developing effective therapeutic strategies and improving patients' outcomes.

Cardiac and vascular complications in lupus: Is there a role for sex?

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a common systemic autoimmune disorder and is characterized by autoantibody formation and subsequent immune complex deposition into target organs. SLE affects nearly nine women to every one man worldwide. Patients with SLE are at an enhanced risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. CVD is the leading cause of death worldwide and includes heart and blood vessel disorders, cerebrovascular disease, and rheumatic heart disease. Specific mechanisms by which cardiac and vascular pathophysiology develops in patients with SLE are still not fully known. Not only do we not understand this correlation between SLE and CVD, but there is also a critical gap in scientific knowledge on the contribution of sex. In this review, we will discuss the cardiac and vascular pathological disease states that are present in some patients with SLE. More importantly, we will discuss the potential mechanisms for the role of sex and sex hormones in the development of CVD with SLE.

Hypertensive Cardiotoxicity in Cancer Treatment-Systematic Analysis of Adjunct, Conventional Chemotherapy, and Novel Therapies-Epidemiology, Incidence, and Pathophysiology

Cardiotoxicity is the umbrella term for cardiovascular side effects of cancer therapies. The most widely recognized phenotype is left ventricular dysfunction, but cardiotoxicity can manifest as arrhythmogenic, vascular, myocarditic and hypertensive toxicities. Hypertension has long been regarded as one of the most prevalent and modifiable cardiovascular risk factors in the general population, but its relevance during the cancer treatment journey may be underestimated. Hypertensive cardiotoxicity occurs de novo in a substantial proportion of treated cancer patients. The pathology is incompletely characterized—natriuresis and renin angiotensin system interactions play a role particularly in conventional treatments, but in novel therapies endothelial dysfunction and the interaction between the cancer and cardiac kinome are implicated. There exists a treatment paradox in that a significant hypertensive response not only mandates anti-hypertensive treatment, but in fact, in certain cancer treatment scenarios, hypertension is a predictor of cancer treatment efficacy and response. In this comprehensive review of over 80,000 patients, we explored the epidemiology, incidence, and mechanistic pathophysiology of hypertensive cardiotoxicity in adjunct, conventional chemotherapy, and novel cancer treatments. Conventional chemotherapy, adjunct treatments, and novel targeted therapies collectively caused new onset hypertension in 33–68% of treated patients. The incidence of hypertensive cardiotoxicity across twenty common novel therapies for any grade hypertension ranged from 4% (imatinib) to 68% (lenvatinib), and high grade 3 or 4 hypertension in <1% (imatinib) to 42% (lenvatinib). The weighted average effect was all-grade hypertension in 24% and grade 3 or 4 hypertension in 8%.