Application of aptamers in the targeted treatment of immunological diseases

Abstract

Cytokines are small molecular proteins released by activated immune cells or non-immune cells. Cytokines can play a wide range of biological roles in immune regulation and the incidence and progression of immune diseases by selectively binding with specific signals and activating the downstream immune signal transduction pathway. Encouraging efficacy has been achieved in the application of antibody-based cytokines or cytokine receptor monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of related immune diseases. Nevertheless， the high cost of administration based on monoclonal antibodies makes it unaffordable for patients. Aptamers， also known as chemical antibodies， are oligonucleotide fragments synthesized in vitro and obtained by artificial screening， which can specifically bind to multiple target molecules with high affinity. Compared with antibodies， aptamers have the advantages of low cost， low immunogenicity and convenient modification. Hence， the potential application prospect of functionalized aptamers in targeted therapy of immune diseases has attracted more and more attention from researchers. In this article， chemical modification of specific aptamers related to 8 types of cytokine aptamers （IL-1α， IL-6， IL-17， TNF-α， TGF-β， IFN-γ， MCP-1 and IP-10） which play critical roles in immune regulation was reviewed， the research progress in their application in the treatment for immune and immune-related diseases was summarized， and the potential application of aptamer drugs in precise targeted therapy for specific immune diseases was briefly predicted.

Keywords

• aptamer|cytokine|signaling pathway|blocker|immune treatment|inflammation