Ferraccioli G et al. – The balance between TGF-β1 and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) could be a key to define the prognostic value of kidney histopathology at baseline and during follow-up, in lupus nephritis. Therapeutic strategies aiming at altering the biological balance in the patients are at hand to test and prove the experimental evidences.
Interstitial cells, inflammatory-immune cells, tubular cells and endothelial cells of the peritubular capillaries have arisen as possible major players of the nephron damage in lupus nephritis
Albuminuria also enhances the expression of macrophage chemotactic protein-1 and macrophage inflammatory protein-1α, thus leading to increased interstitial inflammation
TGF-β1 and thrombospondin-1, a putative activator of TGF-β, induce apoptosis of peritubular capillaries, as well as of glomerular endothelial cells
