Autophagy in Rheumatic Diseases: Role in the Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Approaches.
Alessandra Ida CeliaSerena ColafrancescoCristiana BarbatiCristiano AlessandriFabrizio ContiPublished in: Cells (2022)
Autophagy is a lysosomal pathway for the degradation of damaged proteins and intracellular components that promotes cell survival under specific conditions. Apoptosis is, in contrast, a critical programmed cell death mechanism, and the relationship between these two processes influences cell fate. Recent evidence suggests that autophagy and apoptosis are involved in the self-tolerance promotion and in the regulatory mechanisms contributing to disease susceptibility and immune regulation in rheumatic diseases. The aim of this review is to discuss how the balance between autophagy and apoptosis may be dysregulated in multiple rheumatic diseases and to dissect the role of autophagy in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and Sjögren's syndrome. Furthermore, to discuss the potential capacity of currently used disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) to target and modulate autophagic processes.
Keyphrases
- cell death
- endoplasmic reticulum stress
- oxidative stress
- cell cycle arrest
- rheumatoid arthritis
- systemic lupus erythematosus
- disease activity
- signaling pathway
- cell fate
- rheumatoid arthritis patients
- magnetic resonance
- cell proliferation
- ankylosing spondylitis
- reactive oxygen species
- systemic sclerosis
- idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
- interstitial lung disease