{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:24:58Z","timestamp":1760059498356,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,17]],"date-time":"2025-06-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1750118400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Ministry of Education","award":["NRF-2022R1I1A1A01068210","RS-2025-00557673"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NRF-2022R1I1A1A01068210","RS-2025-00557673"]}]},{"name":"Korea government (MSIT)","award":["NRF-2022R1I1A1A01068210","RS-2025-00557673"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NRF-2022R1I1A1A01068210","RS-2025-00557673"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototypical autoimmune disease that affects various organs, including the kidneys. Despite recent advancements, effective treatment options for renal involvement in SLE remain limited. Rebamipide, originally developed as a gastroprotective agent, has been reported to exert immunomodulatory effects in rheumatic diseases. Here, we aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of rebamipide in SLE using an animal model and to elucidate its mechanisms of action. We administered rebamipide or vehicle control to lupus-prone MRL\/lpr mice and evaluated its efficacy on lupus-like phenotypes, including renal manifestations and immune cell profiles. Additionally, we investigated potential therapeutic mechanisms through in vitro treatment of murine immune cells and podocytes with rebamipide. Oral administration of rebamipide in lupus-prone mice significantly reduced kidney size, weight, and histopathological inflammation. Among circulating immune cell subsets, only regulatory T cells were significantly increased by rebamipide. In vivo treatment with rebamipide enhanced the expression of podocyte structural proteins, such as Synaptopodin, in kidney tissues, accompanied by the recovery of antioxidative factors, including nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). Similarly, in vitro treatment of murine immune cells and podocytes with rebamipide replicated its immunoregulatory and antioxidative effects. Rebamipide is proposed as a potential therapeutic candidate for managing renal involvement in SLE through its antioxidative effects on podocytes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms26125809","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,17]],"date-time":"2025-06-17T10:45:26Z","timestamp":1750157126000},"page":"5809","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Rebamipide Attenuates Lupus Nephritis by Enhancing Antioxidative Defense in Podocytes: Evidence from a Lupus-Prone Mouse Model"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"26","author":[{"given":"Young-Suk","family":"Song","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"The Rheumatism Research Center, Catholic Research Institute of Medical Science, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1198-4538","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Youngjae","family":"Park","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul St. Mary\u2019s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Da-Som","family":"Kim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Rheumatism Research Center, Catholic Research Institute of Medical Science, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Se Gwang","family":"Jang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Rheumatism Research Center, Catholic Research Institute of Medical Science, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6142-8364","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Seung-Ki","family":"Kwok","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"The Rheumatism Research Center, Catholic Research Institute of Medical Science, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul St. Mary\u2019s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 06591, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"16039","DOI":"10.1038\/nrdp.2016.39","article-title":"Systemic lupus erythematosus","volume":"2","author":"Kaul","year":"2016","journal-title":"Nat. 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