Department of Orthopedics IV, Handan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Handan, Hebei 056001, P.R. China.
Mol Med Rep. 2024 Dec;30(6). doi: 10.3892/mmr.2024.13339. Epub 2024 Sep 27.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease whose etiology is not fully understood. Defective peripheral immune tolerance and subsequent mis‑differentiation and aberrant infiltration of synovium by various immune cells, especially helper T (Th) cells, play an important role in the development of RA. There are significant sex differences in RA, but the results of studies on the effects of sex hormones on RA have been difficult to standardize and hormone replacement therapy has been limited by the potential for serious side effects. Existing research has amply demonstrated that cellular immune responses are largely determined by sex and that sex hormones play a key role in Th cell responses. Based on the aforementioned background and the plasticity of Th cells, it is reasonable to hypothesize that the action of sex hormones on Th cells will hopefully become a therapeutic target for RA. The present review discussed the role of various Th cell subsets in the pathogenesis of RA and also explored the role of sex hormones on the phenotype and function of these aberrantly regulated immune cells in RA as well as other pathologic effects on RA.
类风湿关节炎（RA）是一种慢性自身免疫性炎症性疾病，其病因尚未完全阐明。外周免疫耐受缺陷以及随后各种免疫细胞，尤其是辅助性 T（Th）细胞的异常分化和异常浸润，在 RA 的发生发展中起重要作用。RA 存在明显的性别差异，但性激素对 RA 影响的研究结果难以标准化，激素替代疗法因可能产生严重的副作用而受到限制。现有研究充分表明，细胞免疫反应在很大程度上取决于性别，性激素在 Th 细胞反应中起关键作用。基于上述背景和 Th 细胞的可塑性，有理由假设性激素对 Th 细胞的作用有望成为 RA 的治疗靶点。本综述讨论了各种 Th 细胞亚群在 RA 发病机制中的作用，还探讨了性激素对这些异常调节免疫细胞在 RA 中的表型和功能以及对 RA 的其他病理影响的作用。
