Targeting the TNF-α pathway in sarcoidosis

Abstract

Importance of the field/Significance: Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous disease with various organ manifestations in which TNF-α has been demonstrated to play a major pathogenic role. The existing conventional therapies are not always able to minimize TNF-α-driven inflammation and other approaches should be used.

Areas covered in this review: TNF-α roles in sarcoid inflammation and granuloma formation are reviewed based on the literature published in the last two decades and the therapies able to target it specifically or non-specifically in sarcoidosis are discussed.

What the reader will gain: A better understanding of the pathogenic role of TNF-α in sarcoidosis and of the scientific rationale of its therapeutic blockade.

Take home message: In some subsets of sarcoidosis with more rapid progession and/or therapeutic refractoriness TNF-α plays a more prominent role in disease pathogenesis, and its blockade might represent an appropriate therapeutic approach.

Keywords::

• granulomatous inflammation
• infliximab
• pentoxifylline
• sarcoidosis
• TNF-α