REVIEW article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1523272
This article is part of the Research TopicNatural Products and Immune Inflammation: Mechanistic Understanding Based on Systems BiologyView all 21 articles
Traditional Chinese Medicine for Lupus Nephritis: Modulating Autoimmune Pathogenesis
Provisionally accepted
- 1The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
- 2College of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
- 3The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hang Zhou, China
- 4Key Laboratory of Chinese medicine rheumatology of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
- 5Research Institute of Chinese Medical Clinical Foundation and Immunology, Hang zhou, China
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Ethnopharmacological relevance: Lupus nephritis (LN) is an immune complex glomerulonephritis commonly associated with systemic lupus erythematosus. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has emerged as a promising adjuvant therapy for LN, due to its low toxicity and diverse therapeutic effects for long-term management.Materials and methods: A comprehensive search of PubMed and Web of Science was conducted up to June 7, 2024, using keywords related to lupus nephritis, traditional Chinese medicine, immune cells, and kidney resident cells. Study quality were assessed based on Good Automated Manufacturing Practice (GAMP) guidelines, with evaluations jointly conducted by two authors.Results: This review includes 31 research papers and summarizes seven herbal formulas and 18 phytochemicals that modulate the autoimmune pathogenesis of LN. Their mechanisms involve regulating immune cells activation, differentiation, apoptosis, as well as influencing resident kidney cells to support renal protection and immune homeostasis. Since TCM exhibit bidirectional regulation, they activate regulatory immune cells while suppress pathogenic factors. Inconsistent or inconclusive findings are discussed.Conclusions: This review summarizes current research on herbal formulas and phytochemicals in immune cells and kidney resident cells in LN, highlighting the potential and significance of TCM treatment. It also addresses the limitations of existing studies and suggests that future research should focus on exploring the immunosuppressive and kidney-protective effects of herbal formulas and phytochemicals, as well as enhancing the clinical translation and standardization of TCM.
Keywords: Lupus Nephritis, Plant Extracts, Herbal formula, Chinese herbal, Immune System, systemic lupus erythematosus
Received: 05 Nov 2024; Accepted: 14 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Huang, Li, Zhu, Zhu, Fan and Zhao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yongsheng Fan, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hang Zhou, China
Ting Zhao, Key Laboratory of Chinese medicine rheumatology of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.