Table 1.

Potential therapeutic target of metabolic pathway in SLE.

Therapeutic target	Therapy	Effect on T cells	Effects on SLE
Hexokinase and mitochondrial complex I	2-deoxy-d glucose and metformin	Decrease IFNγ production and decreases Tfh cells	Reduces disease activity, and improve kidney disease
Glutaminase 1	BPTES, CB-839, and 968	Reduces Th17 cell differentiation	Reduces disease activity, and improve kidney disease
Mitochondrial metabolism	Bz-423	Promotes autoreactive T cell apoptosis	Reduces disease activity
Glucosylceramide synthetase	NB-DNJ	Normalizes TCR signaling and restores BTLA expression	Reduces disease activity
Cysteine metabolism	N-acetyl cysteine	Inhibits mTOR activity	Reduces disease activity, and improve kidney disease
mTOR signaling	Sirolimus	Inhibits Th17 differentiation and promotes Treg differentiation	Reduces disease activity
PPARγ	Pioglitazone (agonist)	Promotes Treg expansion	Improves nephritis

BTLA, B and T lymphocyte attenuator; BPTES, bis-2-(5-phenylacetamido-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)ethyl sulfide; mTOR, mammalian target of rapamycin; PPARγ, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ; Tfh, follicular helper T cells.