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Autoimmune disease: is it a disorder of the microenvironment?

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Abstract

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a common systemic autoimmune disease that involves several vital organs including the cardiovascular system, joints, and kidneys. The pathology is characterized by accumulation of autoreactive lymphocytes that attack the patients’ own tissues, secretion of autoantibodies and deposition of immune complexes in vital organs. Chronic widespread inflammation is the hallmark of SLE and the target of current therapy. According to recent theories, intonating immune circuits of inflammatory cytokines and immune cells constitute highly specialized targets for SLE therapy, which nonetheless consists for the most part of anti-inflammatory medications and cytotoxic drugs. For advanced autoimmune disorders, cell therapy aiming at introducing “healthy” stem cells has been promising, keeping in mind that in its current state, stem cell therapy is reserved for the most advanced diseases refractory to traditional therapy. Ongoing studies in our laboratories examined the role of the bone marrow microenvironment, in particular, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the etiopathogenesis of SLE. Specifically, we are testing the hypothesis that, in human SLE mouse model, marrow MSCs are defective structurally and functionally. Preliminary data indicate that structural and functional defects in MSC population from an autoimmune mouse model for human SLE may contribute to this pathology and consequently present a target for cell therapy.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a grant from the Eleanor Naylor DANA Charitable Trust. This paper is dedicated to Dr. Robert A. Good who was among the first to advocate the use of stem cell transplantation for the treatment of intractable diseases, and who inspired thousands of his students to advance the field of immunology and cell transplantation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery—Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair, MDC 78, College of Medicine University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA

    Nagwa S. El-Badri & Rania Shamekh

  2. Department of Molecular Medicine, College of Medicine University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA

    Amal Hakki

  3. College of Medicine University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA

    Annabella Ferrari

  4. Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA

    Robert A. Good

Authors
  1. Nagwa S. El-Badri
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  2. Amal Hakki
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  3. Annabella Ferrari
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  4. Rania Shamekh
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  5. Robert A. Good
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nagwa S. El-Badri.

Additional information

Presented at the First Robert A Good Society Symposium, St. Petersburg, FL 2006

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El-Badri, N.S., Hakki, A., Ferrari, A. et al. Autoimmune disease: is it a disorder of the microenvironment?. Immunol Res 41, 79–86 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12026-007-0053-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12026-007-0053-8

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