Objective To investigate the expression of lipid rafts (LRs) and actin cytoskeleton (F-actin) in the peripheral blood B lymphocytes of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).Methods Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were separated by Ficoll-Hypaque.B lymphocytes were isolated by positive selection from PBMCs.Membrane staining for LRs was achieved with FITC-conjugated cholera toxin B (CTB).The level and distribution of LRs were studied by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy.Staining for F-actin was carried out with Rhodamine phalloidin.The expression of F-actin was analyzed by confocal microscopy.In an in vitro examination,the effect of Leflunomide on lipid rafts in B lymphocytes from SLE was analyzed.Disease carried out was measured using the SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI).Analysis of the enumerical data was performed using ANOVA or paired-samples t test.Correlation was examined by Pearson's rank correlation test.Results The number of CTB-binding lipid rafts in B cell from active SLE patients or from SLE patients in disease remission.who were treated with immunosuppressive drugs was higher than B cells from healthy controls [(59+4)％,(51±5)％,(33±4)％,F=9.21,P=0.001].Confocal microscopy revealed that in B cell from healthy controls,lipid raft was found to be small and uniformly distributed on the plasma membrane.F-actin was found mainly in the cortical region of the cells.This pattern was different from the pattern seen in B cells from patients with SLE,which presented with stronger staining and irregular large clustering of LRs,with a decrease in F-actin levels.In addition,the number of CTB-binding LRs in B cells from the active SLE patients was correlated significantly with the SLEDAI score (r=0.632,P=0.028).Furthermore,thein vitro results showed that leflunomide treatment reduced the number of CTB-binding LRs in B cell from SLE patients [(48±5)％ vs (39±5)％,t=2.29,P=0.048].Conclusion The altered expression of Lipid raft and F-actin can been seen in B lymphocytes in SLE,and modulation of LRs and F-actin expression may be a potential approach in the treatment of SLE.