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A Novel BLyS Peptibody Down-Regulates B Cell and T Helper Cell Subsets In Vivo and Ameliorates Collagen-Induced Arthritis

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Abstract

B lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS), a member of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family, contributes to the development of autoimmune disease, and BLyS antagonists have been developed for the treatment of autoimmune disorders. Recently, we constructed a novel BLyS antagonist, TC-Fc peptibody. The study was performed to investigate the efficiency of TC-Fc peptibody on collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). CIA mice were randomly divided into three groups, treated with TC-Fc, Fc, and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), respectively. Clinical scores associated with the severity of arthritis were assessed on alternate day from first day. Histopathological scores, B and T cell changes, and autoantibodies levels were measured at the end of the experiment. CIA mice treated with TC-Fc peptibody had lower clinical and histological scores. Compared with Fc group, TC-Fc treatment resulted in reduction of B cell and T help cell subsets, significantly alleviated the swelling of paws, and suppressed articular tissue degeneration. These results demonstrated that TC-Fc could inhibit the progression of CIA and might have therapeutic effect on rheumatoid arthritis.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81273308, 81273292, and 81471601), Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2014AA020527, 2014BAI07B01), and Beijing Natural Science Foundation (7152150).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, No. 92 Weijin Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300072, China

    Weiwei Zhu, Rentuya Baiwu, Jing Wei & Jian Sun

  2. Department of Rheumatology & Immunology, Peking University People’s Hospital and Beijing Key Laboratory for Rheumatism Mechanism and Immune Diagnosis (BZ0135), Beijing, 100044, China

    Xiaolin Sun, Lei Zhu, Yuzhou Gan, Zhanguo Li & Ru Li

  3. Department of Rheumatology & Immunology, Peking University Peoples’ Hospital, No. 11 Xizhimen South Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100044, China

    Xiaolin Sun & Ru Li

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  1. Weiwei Zhu
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  2. Xiaolin Sun
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Correspondence to Xiaolin Sun, Ru Li or Jian Sun.

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Zhu, W., Sun, X., Zhu, L. et al. A Novel BLyS Peptibody Down-Regulates B Cell and T Helper Cell Subsets In Vivo and Ameliorates Collagen-Induced Arthritis. Inflammation 39, 839–848 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-016-0314-6

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