Microglia activation induced by serum of SLE patients

•SLE serum induced reactive phenotypes in microglia.•SLE serum exposure induced up-expression of MHC іі and co-stimulatory molecule in microglia.•SLE serum exposure induced microglia to produce neurotoxic mediators, including nitric oxide and proinflammatory cytokines.

To investigate the potential involvement of microglia in the neuropathology of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), we examined whether SLE patient sera could activate BV2 microglia in vitro. Exposure to SLE patient sera resulted in morphological changes in the microglia, an increase in MHC II and CD86 protein expression, and an obvious release of nitric oxide and proinflammatory cytokines. However, the SLE sera did not induce a specific change in the production of immunoregulatory cytokines. Inactivating complements or neutralizing proinflammatory cytokines in the SLE sera did not suppress microglial activation. Our results highlight the potential role of microglia in neuroinflammation in SLE patients.

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