Biologic Therapy in Inflammatory Immunomediated Systemic Diseases: Safety Profile.

The discovery of some key molecular mechanisms underlying the dysregulation of the immune system responsible for inflammatory systemic diseases as severe as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Systemic Sclerosis (SSc), and Systemic Vasculitides, led to the development and subsequent introduction into clinical practice of biological drugs which are significantly improving the management of such complex disorders. This novel molecular targeted therapeutics represents in fact a valid alternative or complementary treatment to conventional immunosuppressive strategies, characterized by broad, unspecific actions and severe adverse effects. Main advantages of the use of biologic drugs reside in their steroid-sparing effect and in the ability of inducing remission of refractory disease states or curing specific organ involvements.

A reactive oxygen species-mediated loop maintains increased expression of NADPH oxidases 2 and 4 in skin fibroblasts from patients with systemic sclerosis.

Objective: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) contribute to the pathogenesis of fibrosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma), and NADPH oxidase (NOX) is an important source of ROS. Since the role of single NOX isoforms has not been previously investigated in SSc, this study was undertaken to assess the expression of NOX in SSc fibroblasts compared to normal healthy cells and to analyze their role in cell activation.

Methods: Expression of NOX isoforms in dermal fibroblasts from patients with SSc and healthy control subjects was analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunoblotting, and immunofluorescence.