B-cell-targeted therapies: promising new treatments for systemic lupus erythematosus

摘要

There is surely great satisfaction in the discovery that careful analytical assessment of the pathogenesis of the rheumatic diseases has resulted in the major therapeutic advances we use in practice today. The study of both rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has highlighted the importance of B cells and specific proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1 in the pathogenesis of these diseases. This information, coupled with rapid advances in molecular biology, has led to the development of B-cell-depletion and cytokine-blocking therapies. These treatments have already led to novel approaches to managing patients with the most refractory rheumatoid arthritis, and B-cell-depletion therapy has formed an important role in the contemporary management of SLE. This article aims to clarify the reasoning behind targeting B cells in SLE, the development of B-cell-depletion therapy and its current and potential roles in the management of this devastating connective tissue disease.