The antiinflammatory activity of IgG: the intravenous IgG paradox

Falk Nimmerjahn1, Jeffrey V Ravetch

  • 1Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Immunology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021, USA.

How high doses of intravenous IgG (IVIG) suppress autoimmune diseases remains unresolved. We have recently shown that the antiinflammatory activity of IVIG can be attributed to a minor species of IgGs that is modified with terminal sialic acids on their Fc-linked glycans. Here we propose that these Fc-sialylated IgGs engage a unique receptor on macrophages that, in turn, leads to the upregulation of an inhibitory Fcgamma receptor (FcgammaR), thereby protecting against autoantibody-mediated pathology.

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