Potential Roles for B Cells and Autoantibodies in Ankylosing Spondylitis Publisher Pubmed



Soltani S¹ ; Jamshidi A¹ ; Mahmoudi M^{1, 2} ; Farhadi E^{1, 2} Show Affiliations
Source: Current Rheumatology Reviews Published:2024

Abstract

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease that predomi-nantly affects young males. AS is a condition in which the spine and sacroiliac joints become in-flamed. More specifically, most AS patients experience spine malformations over time, resulting in functional incapability. The etiopathogenesis of AS is a complex combination of genetic predis-position and environmental factors. Extensive studies on AS have revealed the central role of ge-netics and immune reactions in its etiology. However, an utmost agreement has yet to be created. The available evidence suggests that both autoinflammation and T-cell-mediated autoimmune pro-cesses have significant roles in the disease process of AS. So far, B cells have obtained moderate-ly little attention in AS pathogenesis, primarily because of the absence of disease-defining au-toantibodies. However, against general dogma, evidence is mounting showing B cell involvement. Disruptions depict this in circulating B cell populations, the increased expression of immunoglobu-lin (Ig)G, IgA, and IgM, and B cell infiltration within the axial skeleton of AS patients. Meanwhile, compared to many other inflammatory autoimmune disorders, AS has no disease-spe-cific autoantibodies that help disease diagnosis. This study has provided an overview of the B lym-phocytes and antibodies' role in AS pathogenesis. It also introduces autoantibodies that can be the prognosis and diagnosis biomarkers of AS. © 2024 Bentham Science Publishers.