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Stefanski AL, Rincon-Arevalo H, Schrezenmeier E, Karberg K, Szelinski F, Ritter J, Chen Y, Jahrsdörfer B, Ludwig C, Schrezenmeier H, Lino AC, Dörner T. B Cell Characteristics at Baseline Predict Vaccination Response in RTX Treated Patients. Front Immunol 2022; 13:822885. [PMID: 35514962 PMCID: PMC9063458 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.822885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Vaccination is considered as most efficient strategy in controlling SARS-CoV-2 pandemic spread. Nevertheless, patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases receiving rituximab (RTX) are at increased risk to fail humoral and cellular responses upon vaccination. The ability to predict vaccination responses is essential to guide adequate safety and optimal protection in these patients. Methods B- and T- cell data before vaccination were evaluated for characteristics predicting vaccine responses in altogether 15 patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases receiving RTX. Eleven patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on other therapies, 11 kidney transplant recipients (KTR) on regular immunosuppression and 15 healthy controls (HC) served as controls. A multidimensional analysis of B cell subsets via UMAP algorithm and a correlation matrix were performed in order to identify predictive markers of response in patients under RTX therapy. Results Significant differences regarding absolute B cell counts and specific subset distribution pattern between the groups were identified at baseline. In this context, the majority of B cells from vaccination responders of the RTX group (RTX IgG+) were naïve and transitional B cells, whereas vaccination non-responders (RTX IgG-) carried preferentially plasmablasts and double negative (CD27-IgD-) B cells. Moreover, there was a positive correlation between neutralizing antibodies and B cells expressing HLA-DR and CXCR5 as well as an inverse correlation with CD95 expression and CD21low expression by B cells among vaccination responders. Summary Substantial repopulation of the naïve B cell compartment after RTX therapy appeared to be essential for an adequate vaccination response, which seem to require the additional capability of antigen presentation and germinal center formation. Moreover, expression of exhaustion markers represent negative predictors of vaccination responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana-Luisa Stefanski
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Deutsches Rheumaforschungszentrum (DRFZ), Berlin, Germany
| | - Hector Rincon-Arevalo
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Deutsches Rheumaforschungszentrum (DRFZ), Berlin, Germany
- Department of Nephrology and Medical Intensive Care, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Grupo de Inmunología Celular e Inmunogenética, Facultad de Medicina, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas, Universidad de Antioquia UdeA, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Eva Schrezenmeier
- Deutsches Rheumaforschungszentrum (DRFZ), Berlin, Germany
- Department of Nephrology and Medical Intensive Care, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) Academy, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kirsten Karberg
- Rheumatology Outpatient Office RheumaPraxis Steglitz Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Franziska Szelinski
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Deutsches Rheumaforschungszentrum (DRFZ), Berlin, Germany
| | - Jacob Ritter
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) Academy, Berlin, Germany
| | - Yidan Chen
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Deutsches Rheumaforschungszentrum (DRFZ), Berlin, Germany
| | - Bernd Jahrsdörfer
- Institute of Transfusion Medicine, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
- Institute for Clinical Transfusion Medicine and Immunogenetics, German Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service Baden-Württemberg–Hessen and University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Carolin Ludwig
- Institute of Transfusion Medicine, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
- Institute for Clinical Transfusion Medicine and Immunogenetics, German Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service Baden-Württemberg–Hessen and University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Hubert Schrezenmeier
- Institute of Transfusion Medicine, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
- Institute for Clinical Transfusion Medicine and Immunogenetics, German Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service Baden-Württemberg–Hessen and University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | | | - Thomas Dörner
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Deutsches Rheumaforschungszentrum (DRFZ), Berlin, Germany
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Timlin H, Lee SM, Manno RL, Seo P, Geetha D. Rituximab for remission induction in elderly patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis. Semin Arthritis Rheum 2015; 45:67-9. [PMID: 25796088 DOI: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2015.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2014] [Revised: 01/23/2015] [Accepted: 02/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Advancing age is a risk factor for treatment-related side effects and mortality in AAV patients treated with cyclophosphamide (CYC) and glucocorticoids (GC) for remission induction. The efficacy and safety of rituximab (RTX) in elderly AAV patients has not been well described. METHODS We performed a single center retrospective review of 31 consecutive AAV patients aged 60 or more at the time of RTX use for remission induction. All patients received RTX with GC for remission induction. Four patients received concomitant CYC for a mean duration of 52 days. We evaluated clinical and laboratory variables at diagnosis, rates of complete remission defined as Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score/Wegener's Granulomatosis (BVAS/WG) = 0 and patient survival, renal survival, infections requiring hospitalization, and vasculitis relapse 24 months following RTX use. RESULTS Of the 31 patients, 77% were Caucasian, 68% female, mean age was 71 ± 6 years, 58% were MPO ANCA positive, and 42% had relapsing disease. The mean BVAS/WG score entry was 4.4 ± 1.5, 71% had glomerulonephritis (GN) and 10% had alveolar hemorrhage. The mean baseline e-GFR was 40 ± 28ml/min/1.73m(2). Thirty patients achieved remission with a mean time to remission of 57 ± 27 days. The single patient with refractory vasculitis responded to CYC. The mean prednisone dose at 6 months was 5.6 ± 4mg. Remission maintenance therapy was started within 12 months of RTX induction in 6 patients (4 with RTX, 1 with azathioprine, and 1 with mycophenolate mofetil). One patient suffered a limited relapse 10 months post RTX use. Among the 22 patients with GN at baseline, 1 developed ESRD. One-year patient survival among 25 patients with at least 1 year of follow-up was 100%. There were no episodes of infusion reaction or leukopenia. There were 3 episodes of bacterial pneumonia, 1 episode of candida pneumonia, and 1 episode of disseminated cutaneous zoster. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that rituximab is effective for remission induction in elderly patients with AAV. Furthermore, we observed a high incidence of infectious complications. Our experience was limited by its retrospective design, and further studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of RTX in elderly AAV patients.
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