Current strategies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases
Rosato, E.; Pisarri, S.; Salsano, F.
Journal of Biological Regulators and Homeostatic Agents 24(3): 251-259
2010
ISSN/ISBN: 0393-974X PMID: 20846473 Document Number: 647408
Autoimmune disease therapy may be considered a puzzle under construction. Current treatments for autoimmune diseases include physical therapy, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids, disease-modifying anti-inflammatory drugs (DMARDs), anticytokine therapies, inhibition of intracellular-signaling pathways, costimulation inhibition, biological inhibitors of T cell function, B-cell anergy and depletion, regulatory T cells, stem cell transplantion. New biologic drugs that target specific cells or cytokines involved in the early inflammatory response started because of their improved efficacy and limited toxicity. The hematopoietic stem cell transplantation represents a possible therapeutic strategy for autoimmune diseases resistant to available treatments.