Activity of therapeutic JAK 1/2 blockade in graft-versus-host disease.

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Citation

Spoerl S, Mathew NR, Bscheider M, Schmitt-Graeff A, Chen S, Mueller T, Verbeek M, Fischer J, Otten V, Schmickl M, Maas-Bauer K, Finke J, Peschel C, Duyster J, Poeck H, Zeiser R, von Bubnoff N

Activity of therapeutic JAK 1/2 blockade in graft-versus-host disease.

Blood. 2014 Jun 12;123(24):3832-42. doi: 10.1182/blood-2013-12-543736. Epub 2014 Apr 7.

PubMed ID
24711661 [ View in PubMed
]
Abstract

Graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) is a severe complication of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) characterized by the production of high levels of proinflammatory cytokines. Activated Janus kinases (JAKs) are required for T-effector cell responses in different inflammatory diseases, and their blockade could potently reduce acute GVHD. We observed that inhibition of JAK1/2 signaling resulted in reduced proliferation of effector T cells and suppression of proinflammatory cytokine production in response to alloantigen in mice. In vivo JAK 1/2 inhibition improved survival of mice developing acute GVHD and reduced histopathological GVHD grading, serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines, and expansion of alloreactive luc-transgenic T cells. Mechanistically, we could show that ruxolitinib impaired differentiation of CD4(+) T cells into IFN-gamma- and IL17A-producing cells, and that both T-cell phenotypes are linked to GVHD. Conversely, ruxolitinib treatment in allo-HCT recipients increased FoxP3(+) regulatory T cells, which are linked to immunologic tolerance. Based on these results, we treated 6 patients with steroid-refractory GVHD with ruxolitinib. All patients responded with respect to clinical GVHD symptoms and serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines. In summary, ruxolitinib represents a novel targeted approach in GVHD by suppression of proinflammatory signaling that mediates tissue damage and by promotion of tolerogenic Treg cells.

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