Anti-TNF-α Drugs Differently Affect the TNFα-sTNFR System and Monocyte Subsets in Patients with Psoriasis

PLoS One. 2016 Dec 9;11(12):e0167757. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167757. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

TNF-α has a central role in the development and maintenance of psoriatic plaques, and its serum levels correlate with disease activity. Anti-TNF-α drugs are, however, ineffective in a relevant percentage of patients for reasons that are currently unknown. To understand whether the response to anti-TNF-α drugs is influenced by the production of anti-drug antibodies or by the modulation of the TNFα-TNFα receptor system, and to identify changes in monocyte phenotype and activity, we analysed 119 psoriatic patients who either responded or did not respond to different anti-TNF-α therapies (adalimumab, etanercept or infliximab), and measured plasma levels of TNF-α, TNF-α soluble receptors, drug and anti-drug antibodies. Moreover, we analyzed the production of TNF-α and TNF-α soluble receptors by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and characterized different monocyte populations. We found that: i) the drug levels varied between responders and non-responders; ii) anti-infliximab antibodies were present in 15% of infliximab-treated patients, while anti-etanercept or anti-adalimumab antibodies were never detected; iii) plasma TNF-α levels were higher in patients treated with etanercept compared to patients treated with adalimumab or infliximab; iv) PBMCs from patients responding to adalimumab and etanercept produced more TNF-α and sTNFRII in vitro than patients responding to infliximab; v) PBMCs from patients not responding to infliximab produce higher levels of TNF-α and sTNFRII than patients responding to infliximab; vi) anti- TNF-α drugs significantly altered monocyte subsets. A complex remodelling of the TNFα-TNFα receptor system thus takes place in patients treated with anti-TNF-α drugs, that involves either the production of anti-drug antibodies or the modulation of monocyte phenotype or inflammatory activity.

MeSH terms

  • Adalimumab / immunology
  • Adalimumab / therapeutic use*
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / immunology
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Antibodies / blood
  • Antibodies / immunology
  • Cohort Studies
  • Dermatologic Agents / immunology
  • Dermatologic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Etanercept / immunology
  • Etanercept / therapeutic use*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infliximab / immunology
  • Infliximab / therapeutic use*
  • Leukocytes, Mononuclear / drug effects
  • Leukocytes, Mononuclear / immunology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Monocytes / drug effects
  • Monocytes / immunology
  • Psoriasis / blood
  • Psoriasis / drug therapy*
  • Psoriasis / immunology
  • Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / blood
  • Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / immunology
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / blood
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / immunology

Substances

  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents
  • Antibodies
  • Dermatologic Agents
  • Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
  • Infliximab
  • Adalimumab
  • Etanercept

Grants and funding

This work was supported by an unrestricted grant from Pfizer (number: WI128634) to GP, and by Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Vignola to GP. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.