Intestinal involvement in lupus: From pathophysiology to therapeutic perspectives

Abstract

Lupus erythematosus is a complex autoimmune disease characterized by skin and/or systemic involvement. Among systemic disorders, half of the patients will experience non-specific digestive symptoms, usually due to drug medication or transitory infections. In rare cases, lupus enteritis can be observed, and its diagnosis may precede the disease and/or be associated with an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Among the underlying mechanisms explaining the digestive damages observed in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the intestinal barrier function (IBF), increased intestinal permeability, microbiota dysbiosis, and intestinal immune system dysregulations are described in numerous murine and human studies. New therapeutic approaches in addition to conventional treatments are evoked in order to better control the IBF disruption and maybe prevent the onset or worsening of the disease. Thus, the aims of this review are to present the alterations of the digestive tract in SLE patients and the link between SLE and IBD as well as how the different elements of the IBF could participate in SLE pathogenesis.

Keywords: digestive immune system; intestinal permeability; lupus erythematosus; microbiota.