Serum erythropoietin levels in paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria: implications for therapy

Persistent imbalance, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory signature of circulating C-C chemokines and cytokines in patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria

OBJECTIVE

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a clonal non-malignant disease in which hematopoietic cell apoptosis may play an important pathophysiological role. Previous studies of the content of phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PI(3,4,5)P3) indicated the possibility of remote transmission of anti-apoptotic signals between pathological and normal hematopoietic progenitors.

METHODS

The study determined the plasma levels of beta chemokines and cytokines in N = 19 patients with PNH and 31 healthy controls. The research material was peripheral blood plasma (EDTA) stored at -80 °C until the test. Beta chemokine and cytokine concentrations were tested in duplicate with Bio-Plex Pro Human Cytokine Assay (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA, USA) using a Luminex 200 flow cytometer and xPONENT software (Luminex Corporation, Austin, TX, USA). In peripheral blood CD34+ cells we tested the proportions of PI(3,4,5)P3+ and Annexin binding apoptotic phenotype using FC and phosflow.

RESULTS

Compared to the control group, the PNH group showed a significant increase in the plasma concentration of some beta chemokines and cytokines, including MIP-1alpha/CCL3, eotaxin/CCL11, MCP1/CCL2, IL4 and G-CSF. In the group of PNH patients, a significant decrease in the concentration of some cytokines was also observed: RANTES/CCL5, MIP-1beta/CCL4, PDGF-BB and IL9. At the same time, the plasma concentrations of the chemokine IP-10/CXCL10 and the cytokines IFN-gamma, TNF, IL6 and IL10 showed no significant deviations from the values for the control group. Anti-apoptotic phenotype and phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate content in PNH clone of CD34+ cells were associated with the level of CCL3 and negatively associated with CCL5, CCL4, PDGF-BB and IL9.

CONCLUSIONS

This data suggest the existence of apoptotic and PI(3,4,5)P3 imbalance in PNH CD34+ cells driven by anti-apoptotic cytokine biosignature in PNH. Plasma cytokines and intracellular enzymes that regulate the phosphoinositide pathways may become a therapeutic target in PNH.

Laboratory studies for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, with emphasis on flow cytometry

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a rare acquired clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorder caused by somatic mutations in the PIG-A gene, leading to the production of blood cells with absent or decreased expression of glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins, including CD55 and CD59. Clinically, PNH is classified into three variants: classic (hemolytic), in the setting of another specified bone marrow disorder (such as aplastic anemia or myelodysplastic syndrome) and subclinical (asymptomatic). PNH testing is recommended for patients with intravascular hemolysis, acquired bone marrow failure syndromes and thrombosis with unusual features. Despite the availability of consensus guidelines for PNH diagnosis and monitoring, there are still discrepancies on how PNH tests are carried out, and these technical variations may lead to an incorrect diagnosis. Herein, we provide a brief historical overview of PNH, focusing on the laboratory tests available and on the current recommendations for PNH diagnosis and monitoring based in flow cytometry.

Mechanisms and therapeutic prospects of thrombopoietin receptor agonists

The second-generation thrombopoietin (TPO) receptor agonists eltrombopag and romiplostim are potent activators of megakaryopoiesis and represent a growing treatment option for patients with thrombocytopenic hematological disorders. Both TPO receptor agonists have been approved worldwide for the treatment of children and adults with chronic immune thrombocytopenia. In the EU and USA, eltrombopag is approved for the treatment of patients with severe aplastic anemia who have had an insufficient response to immunosuppressive therapy and in the USA for the first-line treatment of severe aplastic anemia in combination with immunosuppressive therapy. Eltrombopag has also shown efficacy in several other disease settings, for example, chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia, selected inherited thrombocytopenias, and myelodysplastic syndromes. While both TPO receptor agonists stimulate TPO receptor signaling and enhance megakaryopoiesis, their vastly different biochemical structures bestow upon them markedly different molecular and functional properties. Here, we review and discuss results from preclinical and clinical studies on the functional and molecular mechanisms of action of this new class of drug.

C3-mediated extravascular hemolysis in PNH on eculizumab: Mechanism and clinical implications

The introduction of eculizumab, a human monoclonal antibody against the C5 component of complement, has changed radically the management of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). The blockade of the terminal complement pathway by eculizumab abrogates intravascular hemolysis, reduces the transfusion requirement and the risk of thrombosis in most of hemolytic PNH patients. However, in almost all PNH patients on eculizumab arises a fraction of PNH red cells that bind fragments of C3 and become a potential target of phagocytosis by macrophages. Eventually, this phagocytosis results in a variable degree of extravascular hemolysis that may reduce clinical benefits of eculizumab and, in fact, about one-fourth of patients remain transfusion-dependent. The treatment of the few PNH patients in which this de novo extravascular hemolysis become clinically relevant is still unsatisfactory. Nevertheless, the investigations of the mechanisms responsible of the extravascular hemolysis on eculizumab have resulted in the development of novel strategies for complement blockade that could overcome this condition.

Eculizumab for treating patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria

BACKGROUND

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a chronic, not malignant, disease of the hematopoietic stem cells, associated with significant morbidity and mortality. It is a rare disease with an estimated incidence of 1.3 new cases per one million individuals per year. The treatment of PNH has been largely empirical and symptomatic, with blood transfusions, anticoagulation, and supplementation with folic acid or iron. Eculizumab, a biological agent that inhibits complement cascade, was developed for preventing hemolytic anemia and severe thrombotic episodes.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the clinical benefits and harms of eculizumab for treating patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH).

SEARCH METHODS

We conducted a comprehensive search strategy. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library 2014, Issue 5), Ovid MEDLINE (from 1946 to 15 May 2014), EMBASE (from 1980 to 25 June 2014), and LILACS (from 1982 to 25 June 2014). We did not apply any language restrictions.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) irrespective of their publication status or language. No limits were applied with respect to period of follow-up. We excluded quasi-RCTs. We included trials comparing eculizumab with placebo or best available therapy. We included any patient with a confirmed diagnosis of PNH. Primary outcome was overall survival.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We independently performed a duplicate selection of eligible trials, risk of bias assessment, and data extraction. We estimated risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence interval (CIs) for dichotomous outcomes, and mean differences (MDs) and 95% CIs for continuous outcomes. We used a random-effects model for analysis.

MAIN RESULTS

We identified one multicenter (34 sites) phase III RCT involving 87 participants. The trial compared eculizumab versus placebo, and was conducted in the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia with 26 weeks of follow-up. This small trial had high risk of bias in many domains (attrition and selective reporting). It was sponsored by a pharmaceutical company. No patients died during the study. By using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (scores can range from 0 to 100, with higher scores on the global health status and functioning scales indicating improvement), the trial showed improvement in health-related quality of life in patients treated with eculizumab (mean difference (MD) 19.4, 95% CI 8.25 to 30.55; P = 0.0007; low quality of evidence). By using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue instrument (scores can range from 0 to 52, with higher scores indicating improvement in fatigue), the trial showed a reduction in fatigue (MD 10.4, 95% CI 9.97 to 10.83; P = 0.00001; moderate quality of evidence) in the eculizumab group compared with placebo. Eculizumab compared with placebo showed a greater proportion of patients with transfusion independence: 51% (22/43) versus 0% (0/44); risk ratio (RR) 46.02, 95% CI 2.88 to 735.53; P = 0.007; moderate quality of evidence; and withdrawal for any reason: 4.7% (2/43) versus 22.72% (10/44); RR 0.20, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.88; P = 0.03; moderate quality of evidence. Due to the low rate of events observed, the included trial did not show any difference between eculizumab and placebo in terms of serious adverse events: 9.3% (4/43) versus 20.4% (9/44); RR 0.15, 95% CI 0.15 to 1.37; P = 0.16; low quality of evidence. We did not observe any difference between intervention and placebo for the most frequent adverse events. One participant receiving placebo showed an episode of thrombosis. The trial did not assess overall survival, transformation to myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myelogenous leukemia, or development or recurrence of aplastic anemia on treatment.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

This review has detected an absence of evidence for eculizumab compared with placebo for treating paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), in terms of overall survival, nonfatal thrombotic events, transformation to myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myelogenous leukemia, and development and recurrence of aplastic anemia on treatment. Current evidence indicates that compared with placebo, eculizumab increases health-related quality of life and increases transfusion independence. During the execution of the included trial, no patients died. Furthermore, the intervention seems to reduce fatigue and withdrawals for any reason. The safety profile of eculizumab is unclear. These conclusions are based on one small trial with risk of attrition and selective reporting bias.Therefore, prescription of eculizumab for treating patients with PNH can neither be supported nor rejected, unless new evidence from a large high quality trial alters this conclusion. Therefore, we urge the reader to interpret the trial results with much caution. Future trials on this issue should be conducted according to the SPIRIT statement and reported according to the CONSORT statement by independent investigators, and using the Foundation of Patient-Centered Outcomes Research recommendations.

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria: pathophysiology, natural history and treatment options in the era of biological agents

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a clonal non-malignant hematological disease characterized by the expansion of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and progeny mature cells, whose surfaces lack all the proteins linked through the glycosyl-phosphatidyl inositol anchor. This defect arises from an acquired somatic mutation in the X-linked phosphatidylinositol glycan class A gene, with subsequent clonal expansion of the mutated HSCs as a result of a concomitant, likely immune-mediated, selective pressure. The disease is characterized by complement-mediated chronic intravascular hemolysis, resulting in hemolytic anemia and hemosiderinuria; capricious exacerbations lead to recurrent gross hemoglobinuria. Additional cardinal manifestations of PNH are a variable degree of bone marrow failure and an intrinsic propensity to thromboembolic events. The disease is markedly invalidating, with chronic symptoms requiring supportive therapy – usually including periodical transfusions; possible life-threatening complications may also ensue. The biology of PNH has been progressively elucidated in the past few years, but therapeutic strategies remained unsatisfactory for decades, the only exception being stem cell transplantation, which is restricted to selected patients and retains significant morbidity and mortality. Recently, a biological agent to treat PNH has been developed – the terminal complement inhibitor eculizumab – which has been tested in a number of clinical trials, with exciting results. All the data from worldwide clinical trials confirm that eculizumab radically modifies the symptoms, the biology, and the natural history of PNH, strongly improving the quality of life of PNH patients.

Pathophysiology of anemia and erythrocytosis

An increasing understanding of the process of erythropoiesis raises some interesting questions about the pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of anemia and erythrocytosis. The mechanisms underlying the development of many of the erythrocytoses, previously characterised as idiopathic, have been elucidated leading to an increased understanding of oxygen homeostasis. Characterisation of anemia and erythrocytosis in relation to serum erythropoietin levels can be a useful addition to clinical diagnostic criteria and provide a rationale for treatment with erythropoiesis stimulating agents (ESAs). Recombinant human erythropoietin as well as other ESAs are now widely used to treat anemias associated with a range of conditions, including chronic kidney disease, chronic inflammatory disorders and cancer. There is also heightened awareness of the potential abuse of ESAs to boost athletic performance in competitive sport. The discovery of erythropoietin receptors outside of the erythropoietic compartment may herald future applications for ESAs in the management of neurological and cardiac diseases. The current controversy concerning optimal hemoglobin levels in chronic kidney disease patients treated with ESAs and the potential negative clinical outcomes of ESA treatment in cancer reinforces the need for cautious evaluation of the pleiotropic effects of ESAs in non-erythroid tissues.

Management issues in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) arises in the setting of bone marrow injury. Thus, management decisions must take into account whether symptoms are a consequence of the underlying marrow failure or of the expansion of the clone of the PIG-A mutant hematopoietic cells. The primary clinical manifestations of PNH are intravascular hemolysis and thrombophilia. Currently available options for treatment of the hemolysis of PNH are unsatisfactory, but the recent development of specific inhibitors of complement for use in treating human disease should make possible effective management of this pathology. The fundamental basis of the thrombophilia of PNH has not been elucidated. Currently, empiric anticoagulant therapy is the foundation for treating the thromboembolic complications of PNH. The role of warfarin prophylaxis, however, remains an area of active debate. Pregnancy in a patient with PNH presents special concerns about fetal/maternal well-being because of the high potential for thromboembolic complications. Bone marrow transplantation can be considered curative, but the decision to recommend this treatment must take into account factors related both to PNH and to comorbid conditions. Refining the technology for both gene therapy (by transducing stem cells with a functional PIG-A gene) and autotransplantation (by using stem cells selected for the expression of glycosyl phosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins) remain challenges for the future.