Statin-modified dendritic cells regulate humoral immunity in experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis

We previously demonstrated that atorvastatin induced immature dendritic cells (DCs) derived from spleen in vitro. Administration of these tolerogenic DCs led to amelioration of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG). The protective effect was mainly mediated by inhibited cellular immune response, including up-regulated regulatory T cells and shifted Th1/Th17 to Th2 cytokines. The present study employed atorvastatin-modified bone marrow-derived DCs (AT-BMDCs) to explore the effect of tolerogenic DCs on humoral immune response of EAMG and further elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Our data showed that AT-BMDCs reduced the quantity and the relative affinity of pathogenic antibodies, suppressed germinal center response, decreased follicular helper T cells and IL-21, and increased regulatory B cells. These results suggest that AT-BMDCs ameliorate EAMG by regulating humoral immune response, thus providing new insights into therapeutic approaches of myasthenia gravis and other autoimmune diseases.