Vascular Inflammation and Dysfunction in Lupus-Prone Mice-IL-6 as Mediator of Disease Initiation

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease and patients are under an increased risk for cardiovascular (CV) events and mortality. The increased CV risk for patients with SLE seems to be caused by a premature and accelerated atherosclerosis, attributable to lupus-specific risk factors (i.e., increased systemic inflammation, altered immune status), apart from traditional CV risk factors. To date, there is no established experimental model to explore the pathogenesis of this increased CV risk in SLE patients.

Here we investigated whether MRL-Fas mice, which develop an SLE-like phenotype, may serve as a model to study lupus-mediated vascular disease. Therefore, MRL-Fas, MRL-++, and previously generated Il6^-/- MRL-Fas mice were used to evaluate vascular changes and possible mechanisms of vascular dysfunction and damage.

Contrary to MRL-++ control mice, lupus-prone MRL-Faslpr mice exhibited a pronounced vascular and perivascular leukocytic infiltration in various organs; expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the aorta and kidney was augmented; and intima-media thickness of the aorta was increased. IL-6 deficiency reversed these changes and restored aortic relaxation.

Our findings demonstrate that the MRL-Fas mouse model is an excellent tool to investigate vascular damage in SLE mice. Moreover, IL-6 promotes vascular inflammation and damage and could potentially be a therapeutic target for the treatment of accelerated arteriosclerosis in SLE.