Lupus patients can develop an inflammation-caused condition known as lupus nephritis, which compromises kidney function. A Medical University of South Carolina team reports in Lupus Science & Medicine that cells lining the walls of kidney blood vessels expressed genes associated with inflammation when exposed to lupus nephritis serum. However, when exposed simultaneously to the serum and the investigational drug L-sepiapterin, they instead expressed genes associated with nitric oxide production, protecting against inflammation and oxidative stress.