Pemphigus & Pemphigoid
Intravenous IgG Reduces Pathogenic Autoantibodies, Serum IL-6 Levels, and Disease Severity in Experimental Bullous Pemphigoid Models
Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune blistering disease characterized by autoantibodies to COL17. Currently, systemic corticosteroids are used as first-line treatments for BP; alternatively, intravenous administration of high-dose IgG (IVIG) has been shown to be effective for patients with steroid-resistant BP in clinical practice. However, the effect of IVIG on BP has not fully been investigated. To examine the effects and mechanisms of action of IVIG against BP, we performed IVIG experiments using two experimental BP mouse models.HLA-DQB1*03:01 as a Biomarker for Genetic Susceptibility to Bullous Pemphigoid Induced by DPP-4 Inhibitors
Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP-4i) has been widely used to treat type 2 diabetes. DPP-4 inactivates incretins by catalyzing the cleavage of those proteins to inactive forms (Drucker, 2007). DPP-4i works by inhibiting the action of this enzyme and improves glycemic control (Aschner and Kipnes, 2006). DPP-4i has been known as a safe drug; however, an increased risk of bullous pemphigoid (BP) during DPP-4i exposure has been reported in diabetic patients administered DPP-4i (Béné et al., 2016).
