Targeting therapy in pemphigus: Where are we now and where are we going?

Kailibinuer Abulikemu; Fengxia Hu; Junqin Liang; Xiaojing Kang

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16679

Targeting therapy in pemphigus: Where are we now and where are we going?

Heliyon. 2023 May 25;9(6):e16679. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e16679. eCollection 2023 Jun.

Authors

Kailibinuer Abulikemu¹, Fengxia Hu¹, Junqin Liang¹, Xiaojing Kang¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Dermatology and Venereology, People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region; Xinjiang Clinical Research Center for Dermatologic Diseases; Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Dermatology Research (XJYS1707), Urumqi 830002, China.

Abstract

Pemphigus is a heterogeneous group of autoimmune skin disorders characterized by blistering of the skin and mucosal membranes, potentially affecting the quality of life if left unchecked. The current mainstay of treatment is systemic corticosteroids and immunosuppressive agents. Nevertheless, long-term use of these drugs can easily cause infections and other life-threatening adverse reactions. Thus, currently, researchers are trying to develop new and safer therapeutic approaches. Specifically, targeted therapies to pathogenic immune pathways have been gradually introduced and used for the treatment of pemphigus or in clinical trials, such as monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody, BAFF inhibitor, BTK inhibitor, CAAR-T therapy, FcRn antagonist, and TNF-α inhibitor. In addition, IL-4Rα antibody, IL-17 blockade, mTOR pathway inhibitor, CTLA-4Ig, and p38 MAPK inhibitors are theoretically promising treatment for pemphigus. Here, we review the research progress on the mechanism of targeted therapies for pemphigus.

Keywords: Biological therapy; Pemphigus; Rituximab; Target therapy; Treatment.

Publication types

Review