Study on the therapeutic effect of turtle shell regulating the immune response of germinal center B cells in MRL/lpr lupus mice
Objective:To explore the therapeutic effect and role of turtle shell in systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)based on the B cell immune response of the germinal center(GC).Methods:Twenty one 6-week female MRL/lpr mice were randomly divided into model group,hydroxychloroquine group,and turtle shell group,7 mice in each group.Seven MRL/MpJ mice were used as normal control group.From the 7th week onwards,normal saline,hydroxychloroquine and turtle shell were used to intervene for 7 weeks.The spleen and lymph node indices were calculated,and urine protein and renal pathological sections were detected for HE staining,immunohistochemistry C3 and IgG analysis;ELISA method was used to detect the levels of anti ds-DNA antibodies,IgM,and IgG in mouse serum;Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression of GC B cells,IgM,and IgG in the spleen,lymph nodes,and peripheral blood of mice.Results:Compared with the model group,the hydroxychloroquine and turtle shell significantly alleviated splenic and lymph node swelling(P＜0.01),significantly decreased urinary protein expression at 14 weeks(P＜0.01),and reduced pathological changes such as increased glomerular swelling,infiltration of inflammatory cells,and deposition of large amounts of C3 and IgG;The serum ELISA results showed a significant decrease in anti ds-DNA antibodies(P＜0.01)and IgM expression after turtle shell treatment(P＜0.01),and a decrease in IgG expression in the hydroxychloroquine group(P＜0.05);The results of flow cytometry showed that the expression of GC B cells in the spleen was slightly reduced after treatment with hydroxychloroquine and turtle shell,while there was no significant difference in the expression of IgM and IgG.The expression of GC B cells,IgM,and IgG in lymph nodes were significantly reduced(P＜0.0l).The expression of GC B cell in peripheral blood significantly decreased(P＜0.01).The expression of IgG in the hydroxychloroquine group was reduced(P＜0.05),while the expression of IgM,IgG in the turtle shell group was reduced(P＜0.05).Conclusion:Turtle shell can inhibit the expression of GC B cells in lymph nodes and peripheral blood of MRL/lpr mice,reduce the formation of autoantibodies such as IgM and IgG,further reduce the activity of SLE disease,alleviate renal pathological damage,and exert therapeutic effects.
Germinal center B cellsSystemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)Turtle shellAutoantibodies
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