COVID-19 has proven to be particularly serious and life-threatening for patients presenting with pre-existing pathologies. Patients affected by rheumatic musculoskeletal disease (RMD) are likely to have impaired immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 infection due to their compromised immune system and the prolonged use of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), which include conventional synthetic (cs) DMARDs or biologic and targeted synthetic (b/ts) DMARDs. To provide an integrated analysis of the immune response following SARS-CoV-2 infection in RMD patients treated with different classes of DMARDs we carried out an immunological analysis of the antibody responses toward SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid and RBD proteins and an extensive immunophenotypic analysis of the major immune cell populations. We showed that RMD individuals under most DMARD treatments mount a sustained antibody response to the virus, with neutralizing activity. In addition, they displayed a sizable percentage of effector T and B lymphocytes. Among b-DMARDs, we found that anti-TNFα treatments are more favorable drugs to elicit humoral and cellular immune responses as compared to CTLA4-Ig and anti-IL6R inhibitors. This study provides a whole picture of the humoral and cellular immune responses in RMD patients by reassuring the use of DMARD treatments during COVID-19. The study points to TNF-α inhibitors as those DMARDs permitting elicitation of functional antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 and adaptive effector populations available to counteract possible re-infections.
Immunosuppressant Treatment in Rheumatic Musculoskeletal Diseases Does Not Inhibit Elicitation of Humoral Response to SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Preserves Effector Immune Cell Populations / A. Favalli, E.G. Favalli, A. Gobbini, E. Zagato, M. Bombaci, G. Maioli, E. Pesce, L. Donnici, P. Gruarin, M. Biggioggero, S. Curti, L. Manganaro, E. Marchisio, V. Bevilacqua, M. Martinovic, T. Fabbris, M.L. Sarnicola, M. Crosti, L. Marongiu, F. Granucci, S. Notarbartolo, A. Bandera, A. Gori, R. De Francesco, S. Abrignani, R. Caporali, R. Grifantini. - In: FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY. - ISSN 1664-3224. - 13:(2022), pp. 873195.1-873195.15. [10.3389/fimmu.2022.873195]
Immunosuppressant Treatment in Rheumatic Musculoskeletal Diseases Does Not Inhibit Elicitation of Humoral Response to SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Preserves Effector Immune Cell Populations
E.G. FavalliSecondo
;E. Zagato;G. Maioli;E. Pesce;L. Donnici;M. Biggioggero;S. Curti;L. Manganaro;V. Bevilacqua;M. Martinovic;S. Notarbartolo;A. Bandera;A. Gori;R. De Francesco;S. Abrignani
;R. Caporali
Penultimo
;
2022
Abstract
COVID-19 has proven to be particularly serious and life-threatening for patients presenting with pre-existing pathologies. Patients affected by rheumatic musculoskeletal disease (RMD) are likely to have impaired immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 infection due to their compromised immune system and the prolonged use of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), which include conventional synthetic (cs) DMARDs or biologic and targeted synthetic (b/ts) DMARDs. To provide an integrated analysis of the immune response following SARS-CoV-2 infection in RMD patients treated with different classes of DMARDs we carried out an immunological analysis of the antibody responses toward SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid and RBD proteins and an extensive immunophenotypic analysis of the major immune cell populations. We showed that RMD individuals under most DMARD treatments mount a sustained antibody response to the virus, with neutralizing activity. In addition, they displayed a sizable percentage of effector T and B lymphocytes. Among b-DMARDs, we found that anti-TNFα treatments are more favorable drugs to elicit humoral and cellular immune responses as compared to CTLA4-Ig and anti-IL6R inhibitors. This study provides a whole picture of the humoral and cellular immune responses in RMD patients by reassuring the use of DMARD treatments during COVID-19. The study points to TNF-α inhibitors as those DMARDs permitting elicitation of functional antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 and adaptive effector populations available to counteract possible re-infections.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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