Therapeutic targeting of STAT3 (signal transducers and activators of transcription 3) pathway inhibits experimental autoimmune uveitis

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 7; no. 1; p. e29742
• Main Authors: Yu, Cheng-Rong, Lee, Yun Sang, Mahdi, Rashid M, Surendran, Narayanan, Egwuagu, Charles E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 05.01.2012; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Analysis; Animal tissues; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - pharmacology; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - therapeutic use; Autoimmune diseases; Autoimmune Diseases - complications; Autoimmune Diseases - drug therapy; Autoimmune Diseases - genetics; Autoimmune Diseases - immunology; Autoimmunity; Biology; Biopsy; Blood & organ donations; Blood-brain barrier; Brain research; CCR6 protein; CD4 antigen; Cells, Cultured; Central nervous system; Chemotaxis; Clonal deletion; CXCR3 protein; Cytokines; Dendritic cells; Disease; Disease Models, Animal; Drug development; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Electronic components; Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis; Experimental autoimmune uveitis; Experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis; Gene deletion; Health aspects; Helper cells; Human subjects; Humans; Immunology; Inflammatory diseases; Laboratory animals; Ligands; Lymphocytes; Lymphocytes T; Medicine; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Molecular Targeted Therapy; Multiple sclerosis; Nervous system; Proteins; Recruitment; Retina; Retina - drug effects; Retina - immunology; Retina - metabolism; Retina - pathology; Rodents; Signal Transduction - drug effects; Signal Transduction - genetics; Signal Transduction - immunology; Signal Transduction - physiology; Stat3 protein; STAT3 Transcription Factor - antagonists & inhibitors; STAT3 Transcription Factor - genetics; STAT3 Transcription Factor - physiology; T cells; Th17 Cells - drug effects; Th17 Cells - metabolism; Th17 Cells - physiology; Therapeutic targets; Transcription (Genetics); Transcription factors; Transducers; Uveitis; Uveitis - complications; Uveitis - drug therapy; Uveitis - genetics; Uveitis - immunology; United States > US; Maryland; India
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0029742

Mice with targeted deletion of STAT3 in CD4(+) T-cells do not develop experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) or experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), in part, because they cannot generate pathogenic Th17 cells. In this study, we have used ORLL-NIH001, a small synthetic compound that inhibits transcriptional activity of STAT3, to ameliorate EAU, an animal model of human posterior uveitis. We show that by attenuating inflammatory properties of uveitogenic lymphocytes, ORLL-NIH001 inhibited the recruitment of inflammatory cells into the retina during EAU and prevented the massive destruction of the neuroretina caused by pro-inflammatory cytokines produced by the autoreactive lymphocytes. Decrease in disease severity observed in ORLL-NIH001-treated mice, correlated with the down-regulation of α4β1 and α4β7 integrin activation and marked reduction of CCR6 and CXCR3 expression, providing a mechanism by which ORLL-NIH001 mitigated EAU. Furthermore, we show that ORLL-NIH001 inhibited the expansion of human Th17 cells, underscoring its potential as a drug for the treatment of human uveitis. Two synthetic molecules that target the Th17 lineage transcription factors, RORγt and RORα, have recently been suggested as potential drugs for inhibiting Th17 development and treating CNS inflammatory diseases. However, inhibiting STAT3 pathways completely blocks Th17 development, as well as, prevents trafficking of inflammatory cells into CNS tissues, making STAT3 a more attractive therapeutic target. Thus, use of ORLL-NIH001 to target the STAT3 transcription factor, thereby antagonizing Th17 expansion and expression of proteins that mediate T cell chemotaxis, provides an attractive new therapeutic approach for treatment of posterior uveitis and other CNS autoimmune diseases mediated by Th17 cells.