Removal of pathogenic autoantibodies by immunoadsorption.
Autoimmune diseases result from disrupted tolerance to self-antigens and subsequent damage to tissues and organs. In several diseases, specific autoantibodies have been either proved or suspected to play a role in this process. Consequently, several strategies have been devised in an attempt to discard the destructive immunoglobulins. Currently, both nonselective and epitope-specific methods are applied in several diseases. In this review, we provide a summary of the available data on elimination of pathogenic autoantibodies and discuss the advantages and pitfalls of the different approaches.
Hershko
Alon Y
AY
Department of Medicine, Hadassah University Hospital, P.O. Box 12000, IL-91120 Jerualem, Israel. alonh@md.huji.ac.il
Naparstek
Yaakov
Y
D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007163:Immunosorbent Techniques; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000628:therapy; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000628:therapy
D001323:Autoantibodies