Lymphotoxin α Revisited: General Features and Implications in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Overview

Journal Arthritis Res Ther

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Rheumatology

Date 2011 Aug 25

PMID 21861866

Citations 36

Authors

Flavia Calmon-Hamaty

Bernard Combe

Michael Hahne

Jacques Morel

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting synovial joints. Therapies blocking tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) are now routinely used in the management of RA. However, a significant number of patients with RA do not respond or develop resistance to anti-TNF therapies, and the participation of other cytokines in RA pathogenesis has been reported as well. Lymphotoxin alpha (LTα) is the closest homolog to TNFα and has been implicated in inflammation and autoimmunity since its original description in 1968. In spite of that, little is known about the role of LTα in RA or the potential of blocking this cytokine as an alternative therapeutic approach. In this review, we aim to summarize the general features of LTα and what is currently known about its participation in RA.

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