B-cell targeted therapies in autoimmune encephalitis: mechanisms, clinical applications, and therapeutic potential

Front Immunol. 2024 Mar 18:15:1368275. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1368275. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Autoimmune encephalitis (AE) broadly refers to inflammation of the brain parenchyma mediated by autoimmune mechanisms. In most patients with AE, autoantibodies against neuronal cell surface antigens are produced by B-cells and induce neuronal dysfunction through various mechanisms, ultimately leading to disease progression. In recent years, B-cell targeted therapies, including monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapy and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy, have been widely used in autoimmune diseases. These therapies decrease autoantibody levels in patients and have shown favorable results. This review summarizes the mechanisms underlying these two B-cell targeted therapies and discusses their clinical applications and therapeutic potential in AE. Our research provides clinicians with more treatment options for AE patients whose conventional treatments are not effective.

Keywords: B cell targeted therapies; autoimmune encephalitis; chimeric antigen receptors; immunotherapy; monoclonal antibodies.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / therapeutic use
  • Autoantibodies
  • Autoimmune Diseases of the Nervous System* / drug therapy
  • Encephalitis*
  • Hashimoto Disease*
  • Humans

Substances

  • Autoantibodies
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal

Supplementary concepts

  • Hashimoto's encephalitis

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by projects of Basic Research Fund of Henan Institute of Medical and Pharmacological Sciences (grant numbers 2022BP0116 and 2023BP0201); Henan Province scientific and technological research grant (grant numbers 232102310408 and 232102311196).