37000cm威尼斯Qiang Xu等研究人员合作发现，艾拉莫德通过促进TEC激酶降解来抑制浆细胞分化并改善小鼠的实验性Sjögren综合征。这一研究成果于2024年5月14日在线发表在学术期刊《中国药理学报》上。

研究人员探讨了艾拉莫德治疗原发性Sjögren综合征（pSS）的作用机制。研究人员用唾液腺蛋白免疫雌性小鼠，建立了实验性Sjögren综合征（ESS）模型。免疫后，ESS小鼠口服艾拉莫德（10、30、100mg/kg每天）或羟氯喹（50mg/kg每天）治疗70天。研究表明，艾拉莫德剂量依赖性地增加了唾液分泌，并通过主要抑制B细胞活化和浆细胞分化来改善ESS的发展。艾拉莫德（30mg/kg和100mg/kg每天）比羟氯喹（50mg/kg每天）更有效。

在寻找艾拉莫德的潜在靶点时，研究人员发现依艾拉莫德与TEC激酶结合，并通过自噬-溶酶体途径促进其在BAFF激活的B细胞中降解，从而直接抑制TEC调控的B细胞功能，这表明艾拉莫德对TEC的作用模式不同于传统的激酶抑制剂。此外，研究人员还发现TEC在pSS患者浆细胞中的过度表达起着至关重要的作用。综上所述，研究人员证明了艾拉莫德通过其独特的TEC功能抑制作用有效地改善了ESS，这将有助于其临床应用。靶向TEC激酶这种新的B细胞调控因子可能是一种很有前景的治疗选择。

据悉，pSS是一种发病机制尚不明确的慢性炎症性自身免疫性疾病，目前尚无治疗该病的药物获得批准。艾拉莫德作为中国和日本的新型临床抗风湿药物，在临床研究中对改善pSS患者的症状有显著疗效。

附：英文原文

Title: Iguratimod suppresses plasma cell differentiation and ameliorates experimental Sjgren’s syndrome in mice by promoting TEC kinase degradation

Author: Yang, Ya-qi, Liu, Yi-jun, Qiao, Wen-xuan, Jin, Wei, Zhu, Shun-wei, Yan, Yu-xi, Luo, Qiong, Xu, Qiang

Issue&Volume: 2024-05-14

Abstract: Primary Sjgren’s syndrome (pSS) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease with an unclear pathogenesis, and there is currently no approved drug for the treatment of this disease. Iguratimod, as a novel clinical anti-rheumatic drug in China and Japan, has shown remarkable efficacy in improving the symptoms of patients with pSS in clinical studies. In this study we investigated the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effect of iguratimod in the treatment of pSS. Experimental Sjgren’s syndrome (ESS) model was established in female mice by immunizing with salivary gland protein. After immunization, ESS mice were orally treated with iguratimod (10, 30, 100mg·kg1·d1) or hydroxychloroquine (50mg·kg1·d1) for 70 days. We showed that iguratimod administration dose-dependently increased saliva secretion, and ameliorated ESS development by predominantly inhibiting B cells activation and plasma cell differentiation. Iguratimod (30 and 100mg·kg1·d1) was more effective than hydroxychloroquine (50mg·kg1·d1). When the potential target of iguratimod was searched, we found that iguratimod bound to TEC kinase and promoted its degradation through the autophagy-lysosome pathway in BAFF-activated B cells, thereby directly inhibiting TEC-regulated B cells function, suggesting that the action mode of iguratimod on TEC was different from that of conventional kinase inhibitors. In addition, we found a crucial role of TEC overexpression in plasma cells of patients with pSS. Together, we demonstrate that iguratimod effectively ameliorates ESS via its unique suppression of TEC function, which will be helpful for its clinical application. Targeting TEC kinase, a new regulatory factor for B cells, may be a promising therapeutic option.

DOI: 10.1038/s41401-024-01288-7

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41401-024-01288-7