Glucocorticoids are currently used to induce remission in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody glomerulonephritis (ANCA-GN), but these drugs carry a high risk of adverse effects and infection. Targeting T cells through cytokine inhibition might represent an alternative therapeutic approach, according to a new study by Christian Krebs, Ulf Panzer and colleagues.

A digital pharmacology analysis identified the monoclonal antibody ustekinumab, which targets IL-12 and IL-23, as a candidate treatment for targeting T_H1 and T_H17 cells. These T cell subsets were confirmed to be enriched in inflamed areas of the kidney in an additional cohort of patients with ANCA-GN using flow cytometry. From this cohort, four patients with relapsing disease were treated with ustekinumab, in addition to standard-of-care cyclophosphamide and steroids. Over 26 weeks, treatment led to a positive clinical and serological response without causing serious adverse effects.

糖皮质激素目前用于诱导抗中性粒细胞胞浆抗体肾小球肾炎 （ANCA-GN） 患者的缓解，但这些药物具有很高的不良反应和感染风险。根据 Christian Krebs、Ulf Panzer 及其同事的一项新研究，通过抑制细胞因子靶向 T 细胞可能代表了另一种治疗方法。

一项数字药理学分析确定了靶向 IL-12 和 IL-23 的单克隆抗体乌司奴单抗是靶向 T_H1 和 T_H17 细胞的候选治疗方法。使用流式细胞术证实这些 T 细胞亚群在另一组 ANCA-GN 患者体内的发炎区域富集。在该队列中，4 名复发性疾病患者接受了乌司奴单抗治疗，以及标准护理环磷酰胺和类固醇治疗。超过 26 周，治疗导致积极的临床和血清学反应，未引起严重的不良反应。