Autoimmune Uveitis | Arthritis Information

 

Yoshimura T et al. – Findings suggest that IL-6 is responsible for causing ocular inflammation, and it is, at least partially, due to IL-6-dependent Th17 differentiation. IL-6 may be a target for therapy of refractory endogenous uveitis in human

Methods

• Study to investigate if IL-6-based biological therapies could be a choice for endogenous uveitis
• An increase of several inflammatory soluble factors including IL-6 in the vitreous fluids from pts was confirmed
• To investigate the role of IL-6 the mouse experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) model was used

Results

• Both IL-6 and IL-23 are required for the development of IL-17-producing Th17 from naïve CD4+ T cells
• In EAU model, neither IL-6-deficient mice nor IL-23-deficient mice could induce Th17 cells
• EAU score was decreased in these mice in the entire time course
• Systemic administration of anti-IL-6 receptor Ab ameliorated EAU by suppressing both systemic and regional Th17 responses

http://rheumatology.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/ken489Lynn, I am not ashamed to admit this is over my head  Bump... Sorry I missed this the first time around

 

Here's what I know... Actemra is a med that works by inhibiting biological activity of IL-6 through competitively blocking the binding of IL-6 to its receptor. 

They must have been using a similar approach in mice to see if it would control autoimmune uveitis...It seemed to work according to the abstract.

 

Results. In the EAU model, neither IL-6-deficient mice nor IL-23-deficient mice could induce Th17 cells and the EAU score was decreased in these mice in the entire time course. We also confirmed that systemic administration of anti-IL-6 receptor antibody ameliorates EAU by suppressing both systemic and regional Th17 responses.

Conclusions. IL-6 is responsible for causing ocular inflammation, and it is, at least partially, due to IL-6-dependent Th17 differentiation. IL-6 may be a target for therapy of refractory endogenous uveitis in humans.

Thank-you soooo much!    
Copyright ArthritisInsight.com