By reviewing the literature, this article assesses the role of this pathway in lupus nephritis, underlines the importance of TWEAK in urine (uTWEAK) as a biomarker of the disease and stresses the favourable results published in the literature from the inhibition of the TWEAK/Fn14 pathway as a therapeutic target in experimental animal models, demonstrating its potential application in other settings.
In this review, we highlight the role of the TWEAK/Fn14 pathway in mediating key pathologic processes underlying LN involving both glomerular and tubular injury, and thus the potential for renal protection via blockade of this pathway.
Glomerular Fn14 and tubulointerstitial TWEAK and IP-10 expression appeared to have consistent changes in relation to the histological class of LN and correlated with the histological activity index.
The TWEAK/Fn14 pathway contributed to cell death and interstitial inflammation during acute kidney injury, to glomerular injury in lupus nephritis, to hyperlipidemia-associated kidney injury, and to tubular cell hyperplasia following unilateral nephrectomy.