Unveiling the Efficacy, Safety, and Tolerability of Anti-Interleukin-1 Treatment in Monogenic and Multifactorial Autoinflammatory Diseases.

Autoinflammatory diseases (AIDs) are heterogeneous disorders characterized by dysregulation in the inflammasome, a large intracellular multiprotein platform, leading to overproduction of interleukin-1(IL-1)ß that plays a predominant pathogenic role in such diseases. Appropriate treatment is crucial, also considering that AIDs may persist into adulthood with negative consequences on patients' quality of life. IL-1ß blockade results in a sustained reduction of disease severity in most AIDs. A growing experience with the human IL-1 receptor antagonist, Anakinra (ANA), and the monoclonal anti IL-1ß antibody, Canakinumab (CANA), has also been engendered, highlighting their efficacy upon protean clinical manifestations of AIDs. Safety and tolerability have been confirmed by several clinical trials and observational studies on both large and small cohorts of AID patients. The same treatment has been proposed in refractory Kawasaki disease, an acute inflammatory vasculitis occurring in children before 5 years, which has been postulated to be autoinflammatory for its phenotypical and immunological similarity with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Nevertheless, minor concerns about IL-1 antagonists have been raised regarding their employment in children, and the development of novel pharmacological formulations is aimed at minimizing side effects that may affect adherence to treatment. The present review summarizes current findings on the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of ANA and CANA for treatment of AIDs and Kawasaki vasculitis with a specific focus on the pediatric setting.

Hyperimmunoglobulinemia D syndrome with recurrent perianal abscess successfully treated with canakinumab.

Hyperimmunoglobulinaemia D syndrome is an autoinflammatory disease usually representing recurrent episodes of fever, arthralgia/arthritis, cervical lymphadenopathy, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and skin rashes lasting 3-7 days every 4-8 weeks since their infancy. Recent reports suggested a link between perianal fistulae/abscess and severe colitis with hyperimmunoglobulinaemia D syndrome resembling an inflammatory bowel disease phenotype. Herein, we report an 18-month-old patient with recurrent attacks of fever and pharyngitis lasting 2-3 days every 10-15 days since the first two weeks of life. Inflammatory attacks were accompanied by diarrhoea, oral aphthous ulcers, cervical lymphadenopathy, maculopapular rash, severe leukocytosis and perianal fistulae/abscess. After the initiation of canakinumab, the patient was clinically improved with complete healing of perianal fistulas/abscesses. In conclusion, hyperimmunoglobulinaemia D syndrome should be considered in differential diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease and recurrent perianal abscess/fistula in a patient with inflammatory attacks.

Analysis of NLRP3, MVK and TNFRSF1A variants in adult Greek patients with autoinflammatory symptoms.

OBJECTIVES: Autoinflammatory diseases are characterised by abnormal hyperactivity of the innate immune system, causing systemic inflammation. The cryopyrin associated periodic syndrome (CAPS), the hyper IgD syndrome (HIDS) and the TNF receptor-associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS), are autoinflammatory conditions associated with mutations in the NLRP3, MVK and TNFRSF1A genes, respectively. We present the experience of our Department with these rare syndromes analysing genetic and clinical data of adult patients encountered between January 2011 and September 2017. METHODS: Eighty-eight adult patients with clinical suspicion of CAPS, HIDS and TRAPS were sequentially recruited and genetically tested for specific mutations in NLRP3, MVK and TNFRSF1A using Sanger sequencing. Clinical picture of mutation carriers was reviewed. Allele frequencies were compared to those described for the normal population by the 1000 Genomes project. RESULTS: Seventy-two of the 88 adult patients were found to be positive for mutations or polymorphisms. One patient carried two pathogenic MVK mutations (pV377I/c.1129G>A and c.850delG) and another one carried a pathogenic heterozygous pΑ439V/c.1316C>T NLRP3 mutation. Seventeen patients carried variants of uncertain significance. The pS434S/c.1302C>T NLRP3 mutation is slightly increased in our patients compared to the reference population and seems to correlate with severe symptom presentation. CONCLUSIONS: In rare cases, periodic fever and inflammatory symptoms in adults can be attributed to mutations in NLRP3, MVK and TNFRSF1A. Clinical assessment and genetic analysis are critical for proper diagnosis and treatment of autoinflammatory diseases.

Metabolic Induction of Trained Immunity through the Mevalonate Pathway.

Innate immune cells can develop long-term memory after stimulation by microbial products during infections or vaccinations. Here, we report that metabolic signals can induce trained immunity. Pharmacological and genetic experiments reveal that activation of the cholesterol synthesis pathway, but not the synthesis of cholesterol itself, is essential for training of myeloid cells. Rather, the metabolite mevalonate is the mediator of training via activation of IGF1-R and mTOR and subsequent histone modifications in inflammatory pathways. Statins, which block mevalonate generation, prevent trained immunity induction. Furthermore, monocytes of patients with hyper immunoglobulin D syndrome (HIDS), who are mevalonate kinase deficient and accumulate mevalonate, have a constitutive trained immunity phenotype at both immunological and epigenetic levels, which could explain the attacks of sterile inflammation that these patients experience. Unraveling the role of mevalonate in trained immunity contributes to our understanding of the pathophysiology of HIDS and identifies novel therapeutic targets for clinical conditions with excessive activation of trained immunity.

Other autoinflammatory disease genes in an FMF-prevalent population: a homozygous MVK mutation and a novel heterozygous TNFRSF1A mutation in two different Turkish families with clinical FMF.

OBJECTIVES: No MEFV mutations are detected in approximately 10% of the patients with clinical FMF in populations where the disease is highly prevalent. Causative mutations were searched in other genes in two such families with "MEFV negative clinical FMF". METHODS: Father and daughter of family A had attacks of fever, abdominal pain and AA amyloidosis. The two sibs of family B complained of febrile episodes with abdominal pain and arthritis. The patients were clinically investigated. Exome analysis in the daughter in family A and linkage analysis and candidate gene sequencing for the members of family B were performed. All patients were re-evaluated in the light of the genetic findings. RESULTS: In the daughter in family A, filtering of the exome file for variants in 25 autoimmune/inflammatory disease-related genes revealed two heterozygous missense variants in TNFRSF1A, novel p.Cys72Phe and frequent p.Arg121Gln. In family B, novel, homozygous missense p.Cys161Arg in MVK was identified. A clinical re-evaluation of the patients revealed a phenotype consistent with FMF rather than TRAPS in family A and an overlap of FMF with HIDS in family B. CONCLUSIONS: In high risk populations of FMF a proportion of patients without MEFV mutations may carry causative mutations in other genes, and the clinical findings may not be fully consistent with the phenotype expected of the mutation identified but rather resemble FMF or an overlap syndrome.

Open-Label, Phase II Study to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of Canakinumab Treatment in Active Hyperimmunoglobulinemia D With Periodic Fever Syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of canakinumab treatment in active hyperimmunoglobulinemia D with periodic fever syndrome (HIDS). METHODS: This was a 3-part open-label study with an initial 6-month treatment period in which patients with HIDS (n = 9) received canakinumab subcutaneously at a dose of 300 mg (or 4 mg/kg for those weighing ≤40 kg) every 6 weeks (period 1 [P1]), followed by a 6-month withdrawal period (period 2 [P2]), and then a 24-month extension treatment period with canakinumab at the same dose (period 3 [P3]). The primary end point was reduction in the frequency of attacks during treatment periods as compared to the historical period (HP; defined as the period in which patients did not receive drugs other than nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs and/or steroids). RESULTS: All 9 patients completed P1 and P2, whereas only 8 patients completed P3. All patients achieved a complete response during P1, and only 2 required dose adjustments. The number of attacks per patient decreased from a median of 5 (range 3-12) during the HP to a median of 0 (range 0-2) during P1. During P2, 7 of 9 patients experienced a disease flare within a median of 110 days (range 62-196) after the last canakinumab dose. Laboratory findings were normalized by day 15 of treatment and remained at normal levels throughout the study. Analysis of blood transcriptome profiles, assessed during P1, showed up-regulated levels of interferon and myeloid-related inflammatory responses in untreated patients compared to healthy controls, and these rapidly decreased following canakinumab injection, reaching levels comparable to those of healthy controls. At least 1 adverse event (AE) was detected in all 9 patients. Most of the AEs were mild in intensity, with infections being the most frequent AE. Serious AEs were reported in 4 patients. CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrate the efficacy and safety of canakinumab treatment to control active HIDS and to suppress inflammation-related transcriptional responses.

The challenge of autoinflammatory syndromes: with an emphasis on hyper-IgD syndrome.

Autoinflammatory syndromes are disorders with an exaggerated inflammatory response, mostly in the absence of an appropriate trigger. Prototypic autoinflammatory syndromes are FMF, hyper-IgD syndrome (also known as mevalonate kinase deficiency), TNF receptor-associated periodic syndrome and cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome. The clinical phenotypes partly overlap (with fever and acute phase response), but also differ between the various syndromes (e.g. regarding fever pattern, episodic vs chronic inflammation and accompanying clinical signs). In recent years, the genetic basis of quite a number of these relatively rare and mostly hereditary disorders has been elucidated. These genetic defects lead to either enhanced production of inflammatory mediators or to a lack of inhibition of these components of the innate immune system. Among these dysregulated inflammatory mediators, the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1ß stands out. Hence, targeted treatment with blockers of IL-1 action, such as recombinant IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra, anakinra) and mAb against IL-1ß has met with impressive clinical results. In this article, hyper-IgD syndrome is discussed in more detail, based on 30 years of experience with this syndrome.

Autoinflammatory associated vasculitis.

Autoinflammatory diseases are characterized by recurrent episodes of fever and localized or systemic inflammation and are caused by monogenic defects of innate immunity. The skin is commonly involved with various manifestations including erysipelas like rash and urticaria. Although vasculitis has been described in many autoinflammatory diseases, it has not been recognized as a characteristic feature of these diseases and autoinflammatory diseases are not listed as an etiology for vasculitis associated with a systemic disease in the 2012 Revised International Chapel Hill Consensus Conference Nomenclature of Vasculitides. We describe herein 3 patients with different autoinflammatory diseases in whom leukocytoclastic vasculitis was one of the major and presenting symptoms. A review of the vast evidence in the literature for vasculitis in the spectrum of autoinflammatory diseases and a suggested pathophysiology is presented. We suggest the term autoinflammatory associated vasculitis to describe vasculitis associated with autoinflammatory diseases. Autoinflammatory diseases should be considered within the differential diagnosis of vasculitis.

Monogenic Auto-inflammatory Syndromes: A Review of the Literature.

Auto-inflammatory syndromes are a new group of distinct hereditable disorders characterized by episodes of seemingly unprovoked inflammation (most commonly in skin, joints, gut, and eye), the absence of a high titer of auto-antibodies or auto-reactive T cells, and an inborn error of innate immunity. A narrative literature review was carried out of studies related to auto-inflammatory syndromes to discuss the pathogenesis and clinical manifestation of these syndromes. This review showed that the main monogenic auto-inflammatory syndromes are familial Mediterranean fever (FMF), mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD), Blau syndrome, TNF receptor-associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS), cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS), and pyogenic arthritis with pyoderma gangrenosum and acne (PAPA). The data suggest that correct diagnosis and treatment of monogenic auto-inflammatory diseases relies on the physicians' awareness. Therefore, understanding of the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of auto-inflammatory syndromes, and especially the fact that these disorders are mediated by IL-1 secretion stimulated by monocytes and macrophages, facilitated significant progress in patient management.

The protean ocular involvement in monogenic autoinflammatory diseases: state of the art.

Ocular involvement is frequent in the monogenic autoinflammatory disorders and generally occurs as spontaneously recurring inflammatory events at different ocular sites caused by the aberrant release of proinflammatory cytokines, mainly IL-1ß. Over the past decade, we witnessed a significant growth of eye abnormalities associated with idiopathic granulomatous disorders, familial Mediterranean fever, tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic syndrome, mevalonate kinase deficiency, and cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome. The pathogenetic mechanisms of these disorders have shown the evidence of disrupted cytokine signaling, but the explanation for the heterogeneous ocular involvement remains to be elucidated. We herein review the monogenic autoinflammatory disorders affecting the eye, describing their main clinical features with specific regard to the ocular involvement, which can lead to decreased visual acuity and even blindness, if the primary disorder is undetected or left untreated.

Cholesterol metabolism and immunity.

A study in mice implicates a cholesterol derivative in damping down the inflammatory response mediated by interleukin-1ß and explaining, at least in part, the immunosuppressive effect of type I interferon, which is used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Current advances in the understanding and treatment of mevalonate kinase deficiency.

Mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD) is a rare autosomal recessive autoinflammatory metabolic disease that is caused by mutations in the MVK gene. Patients with MKD typically have an early onset in infancy. MKD is characterized by recurrent episodes of high fever, abdominal distress, diffuse joint pain, and skin rashes. In a subset of patients, MKD is also associated with elevated serum immunoglobulin D (IgD) levels (hyperimmunoglobulinemia D syndrome, HIDS). The clinical phenotype of MKD varies widely and depends on the severity of the impaired mevalonate kinase activity. Complete impairment results in the severe metabolic disease, mevalonic aciduria, while a partial deficiency results in a broad spectrum of clinical presentation, including HIDS. The precise molecular mechanisms behind the elevated serum IgD levels and inflammation that occurs in MKD remain unknown. Children who exhibit symptoms of MKD should be tested for mutations in the MKD gene. However, the complexity of MKD often results in delays in its definitive diagnosis and the outcome in adult age is not completely known. Therapeutic options for MKD are based on limited data and include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, and biological agents that target specific cytokine pathways. In recent years, some studies have reported promising results for new biological drugs; however, these cases have failed to achieve satisfactory remission. Therefore, further studies are needed to understand the pathogenesis of MKD and identify innovative therapeutic tools for its management.

Systemic and neuronal inflammatory markers in a mouse model of mevalonate kinase deficiency: a strain-comparative study.

BACKGROUND/AIM: There is a lack of reliable animal models for the study of the rare auto-inflammatory disease mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD). The one most frequently used is a biochemical model, obtained by treating BALB/c mice in order to block the mevalonate pathway, thus attempting to reproduce the inflammatory pattern presented in patients. This study aims to assess the role played in pathology by the inflammasome and the reliability of this model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We mimicked MKD using two different mice strains (BALB/c and C57BL/6), evaluating typical inflammatory markers of MKD and inflammasome modulation. RESULTS: Without significant differences, both strains exhibited a general MKD-like inflammation, including the modulation of the molecular platform inflammasome, mimicking the characteristics observed in human patients. CONCLUSION: Although with some limitations, the mouse model appears robust and suitable for studying MKD. Results do not seem to vary with the mouse strain used, and appear to be treatment-dependent. Finally, in vivo inflammasome activation was assessed for the first time here.

Mouse model of mevalonate kinase deficiency: comparison of cytokine and chemokine profile with that of human patients.

BACKGROUND: Mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD) is a rare genetic autoinflammatory disease caused by blocking of the enzyme mevalonate kinase in the pathway of cholesterol and isoprenoids. The pathogenic mechanism originating an immune response in MKD patients has not been clearly understood. METHODS: We investigated the dysregulation of expression of selected cytokines and chemokines in the serum of MKD patients. The results have been compared with those observed in an MKD mouse model obtained by treating the mice with aminobisphosphonate, a molecule that is able to inhibit the cholesterol pathway, mimicking the genetic block characteristic of the disease. RESULTS: Interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-5, IL-6, IL-9, IL-17, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, tumor necrosis factor-α, and IL-4 expression were dysregulated in sera from MKD patients and mice. Moreover, geraniol, an exogenous isoprenoid, when administered to MKD mice, restored cytokines and chemokines levels with values similar to those of untreated mice. CONCLUSION: Our findings, which were obtained in patients and a mouse model mimicking the human disease, suggest that these cytokines and chemokines could be MKD specific and that isoprenoids could be considered as potential therapeutic molecules. The mouse model, even if with some limitations, was robust and suitable for routine testing of potential MKD drugs.

Mevalonate kinase deficiency, a metabolic autoinflammatory disease.

Mevalonate kinase deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive inborn error of metabolism with an autoinflammatory phenotype. In this review we discuss its pathogenesis, clinical presentation and treatment. Mutations in both copies of the MVK-gene lead to a block in the mevalonate pathway. Interleukin-1beta mediates the inflammatory phenotype. Shortage of a non-sterol isoprenoid product of the mevalonate pathway, Geranylgeranylpyrophosphate leads to aberrant activation of the small GTPase Rac1, and inflammasome activation. The clinical phenotype ranges widely, depending on the severity of the enzyme defect. All patients show recurrent fevers, lymphadenopathy and high acute phase proteins. Severely affected patients have antenatal disease onset, dysmorphic features, growth retardation, cognitive impairment and progressive ataxia. Diagnosis relies on mutation analysis of the MVK-gene. There is no evidence based therapy. IL-1 blockade is usually effective. Severe cases require allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Targeted therapies are needed.

Mevalonate kinase genotype in children with recurrent fevers and high serum IgD level.

In selected cases, childhood's recurrent fevers of unknown origin can be referred to systemic autoinflammatory diseases as mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD), caused by mutations in the mevalonate kinase gene (MVK), previously named "hyper-IgD syndrome" due to its characteristic increase in serum IgD level. There is no clear evidence for studying MVK genotype in these patients. From a cohort of 305 children evaluated for recurrent fevers in our outpatient clinic during the decade 2001-2011, we have retrospectively selected 10 unrelated Italian children displaying febrile episodes, associated with recurrent inflammatory signs (variably involving gastrointestinal tube, joints, lymph nodes, and skin) and persistently increased serum IgD levels. All these patients were examined for MVK genotype: only 2 presented bonafide MVK mutations, 5 showed the same S52N MVK polymorphism, while the remaining 3 had a wild-type MVK sequence. Clinical details of these patients have been reviewed through the critical analysis of their medical charts. Our report underscores the pitfalls of MKD diagnosis based on clinical grounds and IgD levels, emphasizing the uncertain contribution of MVK polymorphisms in the diagnostic assessment of the syndrome.