TNF receptor gene therapy results in suppression of IgG2a anticollagen antibody in collagen induced arthritis.
BACKGROUND
Therapeutic strategies to block tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) activity in experimental autoimmune arthritis models and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have proved highly successful, and provide sustained beneficial effects.


OBJECTIVE
To examine whether TNFalpha inhibition has immunological activity beyond the reduction of inflammation in collagen induced arthritis (CIA), an established experimental model of RA.


METHODS
Arthritic DBA/1 mice received single periarticular injections of retroviral constructs encoding human TNF receptor (TNF-R) into the affected arthritic paw, at the onset of arthritis. Severity of arthritis, antibodies to collagen type II (CII), and extent of pathological joint damage of arthritic paws were compared between TNF-R and media treated (control) animals 3, 7, 14, 21, and 49 days after disease onset.


RESULTS
Severity of CIA was significantly decreased in TNF-R treated animals compared with controls, 14-34 days after disease onset. Joint destruction was reduced in TNF-R injected joints and in the uninjected contralateral and ipsilateral paws of TNF-R treated animals. Seven days after disease onset, TNF-R treated mice had lower levels of inflammatory Th1 driven IgG2a antibodies to CII (p<0.05) than controls. This altered the anticollagen IgG2a:IgG1 ratio towards Th2 driven IgG1.


CONCLUSIONS
Local TNF-R gene therapy in CIA appears to have systemic effects on the anti-CII antibodies. The overall influence of TNF-R gene therapy is that it inhibits the progression of CIA mainly by suppressing the inflammatory Th1 response rather than by stimulating a Th2 response. Therefore, periarticular TNF-R gene therapy may have excellent therapeutic potential in RA.
Mukherjee
P
P
Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Wayne State University School of Medicine Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
Wu
B
B
Mayton
L
L
Kim
S-H
SH
Robbins
P D
PD
Wooley
P H
PH
D000818:Animals; D001169:Arthritis, Experimental / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D024043:Collagen Type II / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D051379:Mice; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000235:genetics; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism
D001323:Autoantibodies; D024043:Collagen Type II; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha