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Background: Lupus nephritis is usually manifested by proteinuria, active urinary sediment, hypertension, and renal failure and is a serious complication with more than 50% occurrence in systemic lupus erythematosus patients. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) present remarkable immunomodulatory ability, and these cells are potential therapeutic agents for autoimmune disorders. In clinical trials, the effectiveness of MSC in the treatment of lupus nephritis is still controversial. A meta-analysis was performed to assess whether MSC can achieve good efficacy in the treatment of lupus nephritis in mice. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed in Cochrane Library, ISI Web of Science, PubMed, and EMBASE from inception to Oct 1, 2019. Two authors independently extracted the data, which were pooled and calculated using RevMan 5.3. Results: A total of 28 studies met the inclusion criteria. MSC treatment resulted in lower levels of ds-DNA (OR = − 29.58, 95% CI − 29.58, − 17.99; P < 0.00001), ANA (OR = − 70.93, 95% CI − 104.55, − 37.32; P < 0.0001), Scr (OR = − 8.20, 95% CI − 12.71, − 3.69; P = 0.0004), BUN (OR = − 14.57, 95% CI − 20.50, − 8.64; P < 0.00001), proteinuria (OR = − 4.26, 95% CI − 5.15 to − 3.37; P < 0.00001), and renal sclerosis score (OR = − 1.92, 95% CI − 2.66 to − 1.18; P < 0.00001), and MSC treatment could get higher levels of albumin. To detect the potential, the cytokines were also assessed, and the MSC treatment group had lower levels of IL-2, IL-12, IL-17, and IFN-γ when compared with the control group. However, the difference was not notable for IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TGF-β, MCP-1, TNF-α, Th1, Th17, Foxp3, or Tregs. Conclusion: Our study confirmed that MSC treatment in an animal model for lupus nephritis in the studies included in the meta-analysis resulted in lower levels of ds-DNA, ANA, Scr, BUN, proteinuria, and renal sclerosis score, and MSC treatment could get higher levels of albumin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study was to detect the effects of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) risk. Methods: Associated studies were extracted from the China Biological Medicine Database (CBM), and PubMed on June 10, 2018, and applicable investigations were pooled and analyzed by meta-analysis using RevMan 5.3. Results: VEGF levels was associated with SLE risk (mean differences (MD) =196.02, 95% CI: 135.29–256.75, P < 0.00001), and VEGF levels was associated with active SLE risk (MD =77.51, 95% CI: 10.98–144.05, P = 0.02). We also found that VEGF levels was associated with SLE developing into lupus nephritis (LN) risk (MD =223.16, 95% CI: 144.38–301.93, P < 0.00001). However, VEGF -634G/C gene polymorphism (rs2010963) was not associated with SLE risk. Conclusions: VEGF levels was associated with SLE risk, active SLE risk and SLE developing into LN risk. However, there was no an association between VEGF -634G/C gene polymorphism and SLE risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]