A diet enriched in a polyunsaturated fatty acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, markedly retards the development of autoimmunity in (NZBxNZW)F1 females. This works even after the onset of disease. Human trials are being carried out. Cyclophosphamide is effective treatment in a variety of autoimmune strains unrelated to the cellular basis of illness or the nature (B or T cell) of the proliferating cells. This therapy is effective against the lymphadenopathy of MRL-lpr/lpr and C3H/HeJ-gld/gld mice and the coronary artery disease of BXSB and (NZWxBXSB)F1 mice as well as the renal disease of most examples of murine lupus. Cyclophosphamide markedly reduces the elevated myb RNA in MRL-lpr/lpr mice lymph nodes and increases the very low thymic myb expression.
