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.
Greven
Dorothee
D
Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Academic Medical Center/University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, Netherlands. d.e.greven@amc.uva.nl
Leng
Lin
L
Bucala
Richard
R
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