TY - JOUR
T1 - Low-dose interleukin-2 therapy
T2 - A promising targeted therapeutic approach for systemic lupus erythematosus
AU - Akbarzadeh, Reza
AU - Riemekasten, Gabriela
AU - Humrich, Jens Y.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved.
PY - 2023/3/1
Y1 - 2023/3/1
N2 - Purpose of reviewLow-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2) therapy is increasingly recognized as a promising novel therapeutic concept in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, in particular in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). As IL-2 is indispensable for the growth and survival of regulatory T cells (Treg), deficiency of this regulatory cytokine plays a significant role in immune dysregulation and breach of tolerance in SLE. Recovery of Treg activity by low-dose IL-2 therapy directly interferes with the immune pathology in SLE and thus can be considered a targeted treatment approach with a unique and physiological mode of action.Recent findingsIn this review, the pathophysiological rationales behind the concept of low-dose IL-2 therapy in SLE will be explained and major advances in translational research and the clinical development of low-dose IL-2 therapy focusing on the results from two recent, randomized and placebo-controlled phase 2 trials will be highlighted.SummarySeveral clinical studies including two recent randomized trials have proven the very good safety profile of low-dose IL-2 therapy and its capability to selectively recover and expand the Treg population in patients with active SLE. Given the emerging evidence for the clinical potential of low-dose IL-2 therapy in SLE, these studies strongly confirm the pathophysiological concept behind this targeted therapeutic approach in SLE and provide a robust basis for establishing further in-depth and confirmatory clinical trials testing the application of low-dose IL-2 in SLE and other autoimmune diseases.
AB - Purpose of reviewLow-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2) therapy is increasingly recognized as a promising novel therapeutic concept in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, in particular in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). As IL-2 is indispensable for the growth and survival of regulatory T cells (Treg), deficiency of this regulatory cytokine plays a significant role in immune dysregulation and breach of tolerance in SLE. Recovery of Treg activity by low-dose IL-2 therapy directly interferes with the immune pathology in SLE and thus can be considered a targeted treatment approach with a unique and physiological mode of action.Recent findingsIn this review, the pathophysiological rationales behind the concept of low-dose IL-2 therapy in SLE will be explained and major advances in translational research and the clinical development of low-dose IL-2 therapy focusing on the results from two recent, randomized and placebo-controlled phase 2 trials will be highlighted.SummarySeveral clinical studies including two recent randomized trials have proven the very good safety profile of low-dose IL-2 therapy and its capability to selectively recover and expand the Treg population in patients with active SLE. Given the emerging evidence for the clinical potential of low-dose IL-2 therapy in SLE, these studies strongly confirm the pathophysiological concept behind this targeted therapeutic approach in SLE and provide a robust basis for establishing further in-depth and confirmatory clinical trials testing the application of low-dose IL-2 in SLE and other autoimmune diseases.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85147036417&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/016e081f-20ed-3577-a33f-7ba751967848/
U2 - 10.1097/BOR.0000000000000924
DO - 10.1097/BOR.0000000000000924
M3 - Scientific review articles
C2 - 36563007
AN - SCOPUS:85147036417
SN - 1040-8711
VL - 35
SP - 98
EP - 106
JO - Current Opinion in Rheumatology
JF - Current Opinion in Rheumatology
IS - 2
ER -