Journal article
Therapeutic targeting of alpha 4-integrins in chronic inflammatory diseases: tipping the scales of risk towards benefit?
- Engelhardt B Theodor Kocher Institute, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland. bengel@tki.unibe.ch
- Briskin MJ
- 2005-07-30
Published in:
- European journal of immunology. - 2005
English
Inhibition of leukocyte trafficking via alpha4-integrin antibody blockade has recently become a validated therapeutic approach for several inflammatory diseases, including multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. In the midst of this recent success, 3 patients receiving chronic treatment with the anti-alpha4 antagonist natalizumab (Tysabri) for the treatment of multiple sclerosis or Crohn's disease, developed JC-virus related progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). These unforeseen consequences suggest that long term blockade of alpha4-integrins might prevent trafficking of non-pathogenic lymphocytes that are essential for viral immunosurveillance. In the current issue of the European Journal of Immunology Bjursten and colleagues report that long term treatment with anti-alpha4-integrin antibodies results in exacerbation of the murine model of colitis induced by the targeted deletion of the heterotrimeric G protein subunit Galphai2. In order to properly evaluate the efficacy and safety of anti-alpha4-integrin therapy, the relationship between these observations in an immunologically altered animal model and human clinical disease needs to be carefully measured.
- Language
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- English
- Open access status
- closed
- Identifiers
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- DOI 10.1002/eji.200535195
- PMID 16052610
- Persistent URL
- https://susi.usi.ch/global/documents/1091
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