Impact of biological agents and tissue engineering approaches on the treatment of rheumatic diseases

Tissue Eng Part B Rev. 2010 Jun;16(3):331-9. doi: 10.1089/ten.TEB.2009.0536.

Abstract

The treatment of rheumatic diseases has been the focus of many clinical studies aiming to achieve the best combination of drugs for symptom reduction. Although improved understanding of the pathophysiology of rheumatic diseases has led to the identification of effective therapeutic strategies, its cure remains unknown. Biological agents are a breakthrough in the treatment of these diseases. They proved to be more effective than the other conventional therapies in refractory inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Among them, tumor necrosis factor inhibitors are widely used, namely Etanercept, Infliximab, or Adalimumab, alone or in combination with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. Nevertheless, severe adverse effects have been detected in patients with history of recurrent infections, including cardiac failure or malignancy. Currently, most of the available therapies for rheumatic diseases do not have sufficient tissue specificity. Consequently, high drug doses must be administrated systemically, leading to adverse side effects associated with its possible toxicity. Drug delivery systems, by its targeted nature, are excellent solutions to overcome this problem. In this review, we will describe the state-of-the-art in clinical studies on the treatment of rheumatic diseases, emphasizing the use of biological agents and target drug delivery systems. Some alternative novel strategies of regenerative medicine and its implications for rheumatic diseases will also be discussed.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antirheumatic Agents / administration & dosage
  • Antirheumatic Agents / pharmacology
  • Antirheumatic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Biological Products / administration & dosage
  • Biological Products / pharmacology
  • Biological Products / therapeutic use*
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Drug Delivery Systems / methods
  • Humans
  • Quality of Life
  • Regenerative Medicine / methods
  • Rheumatic Diseases / physiopathology
  • Rheumatic Diseases / psychology
  • Rheumatic Diseases / therapy*
  • Tissue Engineering / methods*
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Antirheumatic Agents
  • Biological Products