A “-mAb”, more commonly known as a monoclonal antibody, is a protein that is made within a laboratory setting that is used to treat certain conditions or illnesses (cleaveland clinic). Each monoclonal antibody can stem from one of the five major antibodies found within humans such as IgA, IgE, IgG, IgM, and IgD. The antibody that will be discussed in this paper is the drug Infliximab.
Infliximab is a drug used to treat various autoimmune disorders. Some of the more common diseases it treats are Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and plaque psoriasis. Looking deeper into the autoimmune disease of rheumatoid arthritis, this disorder causes chronic inflammation in mainly the joints but also in areas such as the skin, heart, lungs, eyes, and even in the blood vessels (mayoclinic). The type of swelling involved in this disorder can overtime lead to erosion in the joints and deformities within those regions as well. Some early symptoms that are noticeable with this form of arthritis is joint stiffness in areas such as the fingers and feet; the longer that the disease goes untreated, the swelling and stiffness can travel up through a person’s arms and legs to other parts of the body (Mayoclinic). The reasoning behind rheumatoid arthritis is due to the body attacking itself, and in the case of this disorder, it is attacking areas of the body that contain fluid such as the joints. A few other factors that contribute to the cause of rheumatoid arthritis can be due to gender, usually women experience this autoimmune disorder more often than men. Another cause is due to family history, so if there are any family members with this disease, the risk of someone else developing it increases. Having this autoimmune disorder can also increase the risk of developing other problems within the body such as osteoporosis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and infections. Where Infliximab comes into play is that it targets areas of inflammation which can help decrease the effects of rheumatoid arthritis and help to prevent the development of any other diseases.
The drug Infliximab is part of the Immunoglobulin G family, and this type of antibody is most common within the blood and targets toxins, bacteria, and viruses (ncbi). Infliximab’s job within the body is to recognize and inhibit tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-ɑ) when acting as a remedy to autoimmune disorders. The reason why it targets TNF-ɑ is because this protein is one of the key players involved in systemic inflammation (infliximab ncbi). A few reasons why there may be an increased reaction of inflammation within the body can be due to many other cells within the body such as macrophages, eosinophils, and neutrophils having the ability to produce TNF-ɑ. With increased levels of TNF-ɑ, they can cause responses in the body such as the release of proinflammatory cytokines and increasing the movement of leukocytes from blood vessels to other areas which explains how rheumatoid arthritis can evolve over time. If Infliximab can attack and prevent the effects of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, then the symptoms of inflammation can decrease over time and lead to less inflammatory cascades within an immune deficient person. After infliximab has done its job within the body, it will either break down into amino acids to be taken up by the kidneys or it will be used for protein synthesis.
References
Charles A Janeway, J., Travers, P., Walport, M., & Shlomchik, M. J. (2001). The distribution and functions of immunoglobulin isotypes. Immunobiology: The Immune System in Health and Disease. 5th Edition, 5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK27162/#:~:text=IgG%20antibodies%20are%20usually%20of,and%20activate%20the%20complement%20system.
Cleveland Clinic. (2021). Monoclonal Antibodies: Definition & How Treatment Works. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/22246-monoclonal-antibodies
Fatima, R., Bittar, K., & Aziz, M. (2023). Infliximab. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK500021/#:~:text=Infliximab%20is%20a%20purified%2C%20recombinant
Mayo Clinic . (2023, January 25). Rheumatoid arthritis – symptoms and causes. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/symptoms-causes/syc-20353648