Purine receptor antagonist modulates serology and affective behaviors in lupus-prone mice: Evidence of autoimmune-induced pain?

Neurologic and psychiatric (NP) manifestations are severe complications of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). As commonly seen in patients, spontaneous disease onset in the MRL/MpJ-Fas(lpr)/J (MRL-lpr) mouse model of NP-SLE is accompanied by increased autoantibodies, pro-inflammatory cytokines and behavioral dysfunction which precede neuroinflammation and structural brain lesions. The role of purinergic receptors in the regulation of immunity …