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Mini-Review: The Administration of Apoptotic Cells for Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis: Current Knowledge and Clinical

Eric Toussirot1,2,3,4,5, Francis Bonnefoy5,6, Charline Vauchy1,5

  • 1INSERM CIC-1431, Centre d'Investigation Clinique Biothérapie, Pôle Recherche, CHU de Besançon, Besançon, France.

Frontiers in Immunology
|March 15, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Apoptotic cell therapy shows promise for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by reducing inflammation. This approach may complement existing treatments like methotrexate and TNF inhibitors, offering a potential new treatment for RA patients.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Rheumatology
  • Cell Therapy

Background:

  • Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic immune-mediated disease.
  • Current treatments include conventional synthetic drugs (e.g., methotrexate) and targeted biological agents.
  • Cell-based therapies, particularly those using mesenchymal stroma cells, are under development for RA.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the development of apoptotic cell-based therapy for arthritis.
  • To discuss the potential transfer of this therapy to rheumatoid arthritis patients.
  • To explore the use of apoptotic cell-derived factors in RA treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on apoptotic cell therapy in experimental arthritis models.
  • Analysis of evidence for anti-inflammatory properties of early-stage apoptotic cells.
  • Examination of safety and efficacy data from related clinical applications (e.g., graft-vs.-host disease prevention).

Main Results:

  • Apoptotic cells possess direct and indirect anti-inflammatory properties.
  • Administration of apoptotic cells shows therapeutic potential in experimental arthritis.
  • Apoptotic cells may synergize with standard RA treatments like methotrexate and TNF inhibitors.
  • Apoptotic cell infusion has a good safety profile in preventing graft-vs.-host disease.

Conclusions:

  • Apoptotic cell-based therapy is a promising innovative treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.
  • This approach may offer benefits when used alongside conventional RA therapies.
  • Apoptotic cell-derived factors, such as secretome and liposomes, warrant further investigation for RA treatment.
Keywords:
apoptotic cellscell-based therapyefferocytosisinflammationrheumatoid arthritis

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