Targeting interleukin 17 in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Interleukin 17 (IL-17) is a family of pro-inflammatory cytokines discovered in 1993. IL-17 drives an important pathogenic pathway in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), leading to and sustaining chronic inflammation. The recognition of this role made IL-17 a potential therapeutic target of biological drugs. In the current study, meta-analytical data on the effect of anti-IL-17 therapy in RA revealed that secukinumab and ixekizumab were effective in generating significant responses, but brodalumab was not. In terms of safety, anti-IL-17 therapy did not significantly increase the overall risk of any side effects compared to placebo, but the analysis of individual side effects revealed an increased risk of infection. Evidence suggests that the involvement of IL-17 which can be sensitive to treatment occurs early in the disease process. This would explain the seemingly limited success of anti-IL-17 targeted therapy found by RA studies so far. Trials recruiting asymptomatic and early symptomatic RA patients are needed to confirm this hypothesis.