IL6 and nephritis: [26]. Targeting these cytokines can effectively treat lupus-like disease in mouse models; therefore, inhibition of these cytokines may help to explain the therapeutic effect of iguratimod on nephritis as well as its cellular effects on autoreactive T cell and plasma cell populations. Moreover, IL-6 [23] and BAFF [22] are also essential for the survival of plasma cells, which is crucially dependent on a complex microenvironment – the so-called ‘plasma cell niches’.