Objective  To investigate the effects of cyclophosphamide combined with prednisone on immune function, serum rheumatoid factor (RHF), C reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-17 (IL-17) in patients with lupus nephritis (LN).

  Methods  Totally 90 patients with LN were randomly divided into control group and observation group, with 45 cases in each group. The control group was treated with prednisone, and the observation group was treated with cyclophosphamide on the basis of control group. The efficiency was compared between the two groups. The changes of immune function immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin G (IgG), immunoglobulin M (IgM), complement C₃, complement C₄, renal function erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), serum creatinine (Scr), 24-hour urinary protein quantificationand inflammatory factors (RHF, CRP and IL-17) before and after treatment were compared between the two groups. The incidence rate of adverse reactions was compared between the two groups.

  Results  The total effective rate of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). After treatment, levels of IgA, IgM, IgG, ESR, Scr, 24-hour urinary protein quantification, RHF, CRP, IL-17 decreased significantly, and levels of C₃ and C₄ increased significantly in two groups (P < 0.05). At the end of treatment, IgA, IgM, IgG, ESR, Scr, 24-hour urinary protein quantification, RHF, CRP, IL-17 in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group, while C₃ and C₄ were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence rate of adverse reactions between the two groups (P>0.05).

  Conclusion  Cyclophosphamide combined with prednisone is effective and safe in treatment of LN, which can improve the immune function and renal function of patients, and reduce the levels of RHF, CRP and IL-17.