Autoimmune diseases: MIF as a therapeutic target.
BACKGROUND
Autoimmune inflammatory diseases occur commonly in developed countries. The treatment of these diseases is usually non-curative and is aimed at suppressing inflammatory end-organ damage. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a multipotent cytokine that has been implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous autoimmune inflammatory disorders. The selective targeting of MIF with either anti-MIF antibody or specific MIF antagonists may offer new therapeutic avenues for these diseases.


METHODS
Our aim is to discuss MIF-directed therapies as a novel therapeutic approach. The review covers literature from the past 10 years.


RESULTS
MIF inhibition has been shown to be efficacious in many experimental and pre-clinical studies of autoimmune inflammatory diseases. The close regulatory relationship between MIF and glucocorticoids makes therapeutic antagonism of MIF a potential steroid-sparing therapy in patients with refractory autoimmune diseases.


CONCLUSIONS
We expect that MIF antagonism by either small-molecule- or antibody-based approaches will find wide application in the treatment of autoimmune inflammatory diseases. Such therapy also may be informed by the MIF genotype of affected patients.
Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Academic Medical Center/University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, Netherlands. d.e.greven@amc.uva.nl
Dorothee
D
Greven
Lin
L
Leng
Richard
R
Bucala
D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D005838:Genotype; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000235:genetics
D005938:Glucocorticoids; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors