Bortezomib followed by autologous stem cell transplantation in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis: A case report and review of the literature

Potential mechanisms and drug prediction of Rheumatoid Arthritis and primary Sjögren's Syndrome: A public databases-based study

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) are the most common systemic autoimmune diseases, and they are increasingly being recognized as occurring in the same patient population. These two diseases share several clinical features and laboratory parameters, but the exact mechanism of their co-pathogenesis remains unclear. The intention of this study was to investigate the common molecular mechanisms involved in RA and pSS using integrated bioinformatic analysis. RNA-seq data for RA and pSS were picked up from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Co-expression genes linked with RA and pSS were recognized using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis. Then, we screened two public disease-gene interaction databases (GeneCards and Comparative Toxicogenomics Database) for common targets associated with RA and pSS. The DGIdb database was used to predict therapeutic drugs for RA and pSS. The Human microRNA Disease Database (HMDD) was used to screen out the common microRNAs associated with RA and pSS. Finally, a common miRNA-gene network was created using Cytoscape. Four hub genes (CXCL10, GZMA, ITGA4, and PSMB9) were obtained from the intersection of common genes from WGCNA, differential gene analysis and public databases. Twenty-four drugs corresponding to hub gene targets were predicted in the DGIdb database. Among the 24 drugs, five drugs had already been reported for the treatment of RA and pSS. Other drugs, such as bortezomib, carfilzomib, oprozomib, cyclosporine and zidovudine, may be ideal drugs for the future treatment of RA patients with pSS. According to the miRNA-gene network, hsa-mir-21 may play a significant role in the mechanisms shared by RA and pSS. In conclusion, we identified commom targets as potential biomarkers in RA and pSS from publicly available databases and predicted potential drugs based on the targets. A new understanding of the molecular mechanisms associated with RA and pSS is provided according to the miRNA-gene network.

The prevalence of osteoporosis in rheumatoid arthritis patient: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Osteoporosis (OP) is one of the most commonly known extra-articular complications of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Since the prevalence of OP is diverse in different studies and there is no general consensus about it, in this systematic review, we aimed to investigate the global prevalence of OP among RA patients. In this review, three databases including Medline via PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science (Clarivate analytics) were searched by various keywords. After screening of retrieved papers, the related data of included papers were extracted and analyzed. To assess the risk of methodological bias of included studies, quality assessment checklist for prevalence studies was used. Because of heterogeneity among studies, random-effect model was used to pooled the results of primary studies. In this review, the results of 57 studies were summarized and the total included sample size was 227,812 cases of RA with 64,290 cases of OP. The summary point prevalence of OP among RA was estimated as 27.6% (95%CI 23.9-31.3%). Despite significant advances in prevention, treatment and diagnostic methods in these patients, it still seems that the prevalence of OP in these patients is high and requires better and more timely interventions.

Gene Ontology Analysis Highlights Biological Processes Influencing Non-Response to Anti-TNF Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Anti-TNF therapy has significantly improved disease control in rheumatoid arthritis, but a fraction of rheumatoid arthritis patients do not respond to anti-TNF therapy or lose response over time. Moreover, the mechanisms underlying non-response to anti-TNF therapy remain largely unknown. To date, many single biomarkers of response to anti-TNF therapy have been published but they have not yet been analyzed as a system of interacting nodes. The aim of our study is to systematically elucidate the biological processes underlying non-response to anti-TNF therapy in rheumatoid arthritis using the gene ontologies of previously published predictive biomarkers. Gene networks were constructed based on published biomarkers and then enriched gene ontology terms were elucidated in subgroups using gene ontology software tools. Our results highlight the novel role of proteasome-mediated protein catabolic processes (p = 2.91 × 10⁻¹⁵) and plasma lipoproteins (p = 4.55 × 10⁻¹¹) in anti-TNF therapy response. The results of our gene ontology analysis help elucidate the biological processes underlying non-response to anti-TNF therapy in rheumatoid arthritis and encourage further study of the highlighted processes.

NF-κB Signaling and Inflammation-Drug Repurposing to Treat Inflammatory Disorders?

NF-κB is a central mediator of inflammation, response to DNA damage and oxidative stress. As a result of its central role in so many important cellular processes, NF-κB dysregulation has been implicated in the pathology of important human diseases. NF-κB activation causes inappropriate inflammatory responses in diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and multiple sclerosis (MS). Thus, modulation of NF-κB signaling is being widely investigated as an approach to treat chronic inflammatory diseases, autoimmunity and cancer. The emergence of COVID-19 in late 2019, the subsequent pandemic and the huge clinical burden of patients with life-threatening SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia led to a massive scramble to repurpose existing medicines to treat lung inflammation in a wide range of healthcare systems. These efforts continue and have proven to be controversial. Drug repurposing strategies are a promising alternative to de novo drug development, as they minimize drug development timelines and reduce the risk of failure due to unexpected side effects. Different experimental approaches have been applied to identify existing medicines which inhibit NF-κB that could be repurposed as anti-inflammatory drugs.

Cardiac macrophages regulate isoproterenol-induced Takotsubo-like cardiomyopathy

Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is an acute, stress-induced cardiomyopathy that occurs predominantly in women after extreme physical and/or emotional stress. To date, our understanding of the molecular basis for TTS remains unknown and, consequently, specific therapies are lacking. Myocardial infiltration of monocytes and macrophages in TTS has been documented in clinical studies. However, the functional importance of these findings remains poorly understood. Here, we show that a single high dose of isoproterenol (ISO) in mice induced a TTS-like cardiomyopathy phenotype characterized by female predominance, severe cardiac dysfunction, and robust myocardial infiltration of macrophages. Single-cell RNA-Seq studies of myocardial immune cells revealed that TTS-like cardiomyopathy is associated with complex activation of innate and adaptive immune cells in the heart, and macrophages were identified as the dominant immune cells. Global macrophage depletion (via clodronate liposome administration) or blockade of macrophage infiltration (via a CCR2 antagonist or in CCR2-KO mice) resulted in recovery of cardiac dysfunction in ISO-challenged mice. In addition, damping myeloid cell activation by HIF1α deficiency or exposure to the immunomodulatory agent bortezomib ameliorated ISO-induced cardiac dysfunction. Collectively, our findings identify macrophages as a critical regulator of TTS pathogenesis that can be targeted for therapeutic gain.

Bortezomib: a proteasome inhibitor for the treatment of autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases (ADs) are conditions in which the immune system cannot distinguish self from non-self and, as a result, tissue injury occurs primarily due to the action of various inflammatory mediators. Different immunosuppressive agents are used for the treatment of patients with ADs, but some clinical cases develop resistance to currently available therapies. The proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (BTZ) is an approved agent for first-line therapy of people with multiple myeloma. BTZ has been shown to improve the symptoms of different ADs in animal models and ameliorated symptoms in patients with systemic lupus erythematous, rheumatoid arthritis, myasthenia gravis, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, and autoimmune hematologic diseases that were nonresponsive to conventional therapies. Proteasome inhibition provides a potent strategy for treating ADs. BTZ represents a proteasome inhibitor that can potentially be used to treat AD patients resistant to conventional therapies.

Immunoglobulin D-kappa multiple myeloma in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis: a case report and review of the literature

A 77-year-old Japanese woman with a 21-year history of seropositive, erosive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and a 10-year history of methotrexate (MTX) therapy was admitted with malaise and mild consciousness disturbance. Laboratory data showed hypercalcemia, acute kidney injury, normocytic anaemia, and thrombocytopenia. As we first assumed drug-induced toxicity by MTX and eldecalcitol, both were discontinued and leucovorin rescue therapy and calcitonin were administered. However, her condition continued to worsen. Serum protein electrophoresis showed only a small M-peak, immunoelectrophoresis of both the serum and urine demonstrated Bence-Jones kappa (κ) type monoclonal protein without immunoglobulin heavy chain, and bone marrow examination revealed proliferation of plasma cells. We diagnosed her with Bence-Jones κ type multiple myeloma (MM) and transferred her to the department of haematology of a higher order medical institution. Conclusively, the diagnosis of immunoglobulin (Ig) D-κ type MM, a rare variant of this disorder, was determined in accordance with serum immunofixation. Several previous studies have suggested that pre-existing RA is a risk factor for MM. Although IgD MM is characterised by its clinical severity and poor prognosis compared to other subtypes, it is often misdiagnosed or mistaken as light chain type MM, as in the present case, because of the low level of IgD M-protein, resulting in delayed diagnosis. Physicians must take MM into consideration as a differential diagnosis when inactive RA patients present with inexplicable elevated calcium, renal failure, anaemia, and bone lesion symptoms and should be aware of IgD MM to establish the correct diagnosis promptly.

[Peripheral blood exosomes from patients with multiple myeloma mediate bortezomib resistance in cultured multiple myeloma cells]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the role of exosome in mediating bortezomib (Btz) resistance in multiple myeloma cells in vitro and explore the underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

Peripheral blood samples were collected from 15 patients with multiple myeloma with Btz tolerance, and serum exosomes were isolated by ultracentrifugation and identified with electron microscopy, NTA and Western blotting. In vitro cultured multiple myeloma cells were treated with gradient concentrations of Btz to determine the optimal drug concentration for subsequent experiment. The cells were pretreated with different concentrations of exosomes, and their sensitivity to BTZ was assessed using MTS assay. We searched the exosome database Exocarta and used STRING to generate the network map and the protein interaction graph.

RESULTS

The diameters of the vesicles isolated from the peripheral blood of the patients were mostly below 200 nm with a mean particle size of 153 nm and a mode of 140.1 nm. The results of Western blotting showed that the isolated exosomes expressed the marker proteins CD63, Tsg101 and Alix. In cultured multiple myeloma cells, pretreatment with exosomes resulted in a decreased sensitivity of the cells to bortezomib, and longer treatment durations and higher exosome concentrations consistently enhanced the resistance of the cells to the same Btz concentration. Analysis of the Exocarta database identified human serum exosomal proteins ABCB1, ABCB4, PDCD6IP, and EGFR, among which EGFR served as a network node.

CONCLUSIONS

Exosome within a specific concentration range may serve as a signal carrier to mediate the resistance of multiple myeloma cells to Btz. EGFR likely plays a key role to promote exosome-mediated Btz resistance in myeloma cells.

Cancer chemotherapeutics in rheumatoid arthritis: A convoluted connection

Chemotherapy is one of the most popular therapeutic strategies to treat cancer. However, cancer chemotherapeutics have often been associated with impairment of the immune system, which might consequently lead to an augmented risk of autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis. Though the accurate mechanistic facets of rheumatoid arthritis induction have not been interpreted yet, a conglomeration of genetic and environmental factors might promote its etiology. What makes the scenario more challenging is that patients with rheumatoid arthritis are at a significantly elevated risk of developing various types of cancer. It is intriguing to note that diverse cancer chemotherapy drugs are also commonly used to treat symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. However, a colossal multitude of such cancer therapeutics has demonstrated highly varied results in rheumatoid arthritis patients, including both beneficial and adverse effects. Herein, we attempt to present a holistic account of the variegated modalities of this complex tripartite cross-talk between cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and chemotherapy drugs in order to decode the sinuous correlation between these two appalling pathological conditions.