A Phase II Trial of Retinoids on Lupus Nephritis in a Single Center

This Phase II trial investigated the effectiveness and safety of retinoids (ATRA and AM80) in treating lupus nephritis (LN) in 23 patients. ATRA (10 mg/day) was administered to 9 patients, and AM80 (4 mg/day) to 14 patients for 6 months. Results showed that urinary protein levels decreased significantly in the ATRA group and tended to reduce in the AM80 group. Serum albumin levels tended to increase, and anti-double-strand DNA antibody levels tended to decrease in both groups. Adverse reactions led to the discontinuation of AM80 in 6 cases. The study concluded that retinoids might improve LN resistant to conventional therapy and could potentially reduce the required dose of steroids. However, the small sample size limited the statistical significance of the findings.