title: Analysis of cytokine production patterns of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from a rheumatoid arthritis patient successfully treated with rituximab.
abstract: We had a rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patient resistant to multiple drugs and who developed panniculitis due to etanercept treatment, then responded fairly well to rituximab. Intracellular staining of cytokines in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells before and after rituximab administration revealed that the cytokine production, representative of T-helper (Th)1-, Th2-, and Th17-type responses, decreased abruptly after the treatment. Interestingly, this timing coincided with that of the manifestation of the beneficial effect. This relationship may provide useful insight into the mechanism of action of the drug and hence about the pathogenesis of RA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Applied Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Saitama Medical University Hospital, 38 Morohongo, Moroyama, Iruma-gun, Saitama, 350-0495, Japan.
authors.forename: Akinori
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Kojiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Fumihiko
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Miyoshi
authors.forename: Yasufumi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shindo
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yokota
authors.forename: Kyoichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: Haruhiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akiba
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Asanuma
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Akiyama
authors.forename: Toshihide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mimura
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism*; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D000069283:Rituximab
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D016207:Cytokines; D000069283:Rituximab