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Zhang SX, Chen HR, Wang J, Shao HF, Cheng T, Pei RM, Su QY, Zhang HY, Li XF. The efficacy and safety of short-term and low-dose IL-2 combined with tocilizumab to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1359041. [PMID: 38711497 PMCID: PMC11070481 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1359041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Immunotherapy targeting factors related to immune imbalance has been widely employed for RA treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of low-dose interleukin (IL)-2 combined with tocilizumab (TCZ), a biologics targeting IL-6, in RA patients. Methods Fifty adults with active RA who met the criteria with complete clinical data were recruited, and divided into three groups: control group (n=15), IL-2 group (n=26), and IL-2+TCZ group (n=9). In addition to basic treatment, participants in the IL-2 group received IL-2 (0.5 MIU/day), while participants in the IL-2+TCZ group received IL-2 (0.5 MIU/day) along with one dose of TCZ (8 mg/kg, maximum dose: 800 mg). All subjects underwent condition assessment, laboratory indicators and safety indicators detection, and records before treatment and one week after treatment. Results Compared with the baseline, all three groups showed significant improvement in disease conditions, as evidenced by significantly reduced disease activity indicators. The low-dose IL-2 and combination treatment groups demonstrated a violent proliferation of Tregs, while the absolute number of Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells in the latter group showed a decreasing trend. The decrease in the Th17/Treg ratio was more pronounced in the IL-2+TCZ groups. No significant adverse reactions were observed in any of the patients. Conclusion Exogenous low doses of IL-2 combined TCZ were found to be safe and effective in reducing effector T cells and appropriately increasing Treg levels in RA patients with high effector T cell levels. This approach helps regulate immune homeostasis and contributes to the prevention of disease deterioration. Clinical trial registration https://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojEN.html?proj=13909, identifier ChiCTR-INR-16009546.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng-Xiao Zhang
- Department of Rheumatology, the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Physiology at Shanxi Medical University, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
- Shanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Rheumatism Immune Microecology, The Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Hao-Ran Chen
- School of Management, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Jia Wang
- Department of Rheumatology, the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Physiology at Shanxi Medical University, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
- Shanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Rheumatism Immune Microecology, The Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Hong-Fang Shao
- Academy of Medical Sciences, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Ting Cheng
- Department of Rheumatology, the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Physiology at Shanxi Medical University, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
- Shanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Rheumatism Immune Microecology, The Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Ruo-Meng Pei
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Physiology at Shanxi Medical University, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
- Shanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Rheumatism Immune Microecology, The Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China
| | - Qin-Yi Su
- Department of Rheumatology, the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Physiology at Shanxi Medical University, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
- Shanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Rheumatism Immune Microecology, The Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - He-Yi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Physiology at Shanxi Medical University, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
- Shanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Rheumatism Immune Microecology, The Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Xiao-Feng Li
- Department of Rheumatology, the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
- Key Laboratory of Cellular Physiology at Shanxi Medical University, Ministry of Education, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
- Shanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Rheumatism Immune Microecology, The Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
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Hageman I, Mol F, Atiqi S, Joustra V, Sengul H, Henneman P, Visman I, Hakvoort T, Nurmohamed M, Wolbink G, Levin E, Li Yim AY, D’Haens G, de Jonge WJ. Novel DNA methylome biomarkers associated with adalimumab response in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1303231. [PMID: 38187379 PMCID: PMC10771853 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1303231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Background and aims Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients are currently treated with biological agents mostly aimed at cytokine blockade, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα). Currently, there are no biomarkers to predict therapy response to these agents. Here, we aimed to predict response to adalimumab (ADA) treatment in RA patients using DNA methylation in peripheral blood (PBL). Methods DNA methylation profiling on whole peripheral blood from 92 RA patients before the start of ADA treatment was determined using Illumina HumanMethylationEPIC BeadChip array. After 6 months, treatment response was assessed according to the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) criteria for disease activity. Patients were classified as responders (Disease Activity Score in 28 Joints (DAS28) < 3.2 or decrease of 1.2 points) or as non-responders (DAS28 > 5.1 or decrease of less than 0.6 points). Machine learning models were built through stability-selected gradient boosting to predict response prior to ADA treatment with predictor DNA methylation markers. Results Of the 94 RA patients, we classified 49 and 43 patients as responders and non-responders, respectively. We were capable of differentiating responders from non-responders with a high performance (area under the curve (AUC) 0.76) using a panel of 27 CpGs. These classifier CpGs are annotated to genes involved in immunological and pathophysiological pathways related to RA such as T-cell signaling, B-cell pathology, and angiogenesis. Conclusion Our findings indicate that the DNA methylome of PBL provides discriminative capabilities in discerning responders and non-responders to ADA treatment and may therefore serve as a tool for therapy prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ishtu Hageman
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Tytgat Institute for Liver and Intestinal Research, Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Femke Mol
- Tytgat Institute for Liver and Intestinal Research, Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Sadaf Atiqi
- Department of Rheumatology, Amsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center, Vrije Universiteit (VU) University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Vincent Joustra
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Hilal Sengul
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Peter Henneman
- Genome Diagnostics Laboratory, Department of Human Genetics, Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Ingrid Visman
- Department of Rheumatology, Amsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center, Vrije Universiteit (VU) University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Theodorus Hakvoort
- Tytgat Institute for Liver and Intestinal Research, Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Mike Nurmohamed
- Department of Rheumatology, Amsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center, Vrije Universiteit (VU) University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Gertjan Wolbink
- Department of Rheumatology, Amsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center, Vrije Universiteit (VU) University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Evgeni Levin
- Department of Vascular Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Horaizon BV, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Andrew Y.F. Li Yim
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Tytgat Institute for Liver and Intestinal Research, Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Genome Diagnostics Laboratory, Department of Human Genetics, Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Geert D’Haens
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Wouter J. de Jonge
- Tytgat Institute for Liver and Intestinal Research, Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UMC), University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Department of Surgery, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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