LXR, PPARγ, and PPARδ Agonists Are Not Sufficient to Demonstrate Therapeutic Potential against Mouse Model of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Aim: We aimed to investigate whether the agonists for liver X receptor (LXR) ameliorate lupus-like phenotypes in mice mediated by the clearance of apoptotic cells, and compare with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ plus PPARδ agonists, which also facilitate the clearance of apoptotic cells and exert anti-inflammatory effects in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Methods: We investigated the efficacy of LXR agonist (GW3965) or dual treatment of PPARγ (pioglitazone) and PPARδ (GW0742) agonists in SLE animal models, female MRL/MpJ-Fas/J mice and BALB/cAJcl mice treated with pristane. The data were analyzed with one-way analysis of variance and Tukey’s honestly significant difference tests. Results: The treatment with LXR or PPARγ/δ agonists did not significantly alter the swelling of lymph nodes, ds-DNA production, albuminuria, histological score of glomerular lesions, and mRNA expression of target genes including Abca1, C1qa, Icam1, Mertk and Tnf. Conclusion: LXR or PPARγ/δ agonists targeting the impaired clearance for apoptosis cells may not be efficient in the remission induction therapy in SLE.