Background: Rituximab has been widely proposed to treat systemic sclerosis (SSc) by depletion of pathogenic B cells. Nonetheless, the clinical benefit of Rituximab in SSc remains contentious.Objective: This meta-analysis was conducted to systematically evaluate the safety and efficacy profile of Rituximab in SSc patients.Methods: We performed a systematic online query in PubMed, Cochrane, and Web of science.Available studies about the assessment of Rituximab in SSc patients were comprehensively reviewed and investigated.Results: In total, 14 studies comprising 597 participants were enrolled in our analysis. Pooled results showed the durable improvement of mRSS for skin involvement (∆mRSS: 7.00 at 6-month, 9.70 at 12month, and 10.93 at 24-month), while FVC (∆FVC: -0.69 at 6-month, -2.62 at 12-month, -0.67 at 24month) and DLCO (∆DLCO -2.39 at 6-month, -3.28 at 12-month, -0.79 at 24-month) for lung involvement remain stable in SSc patients after Rituximab treatment. And safety profile of Rituximabrelated adverse events rate was 12% in the pooled result. Conclusion:The pooled results of this meta-analysis indicated that Rituximab was well-tolerated, and it was able to generate improvement of cutaneous function and stabilization of pulmonary function in SSc patients.

NAC treatment attenuates skin fibrosis in a BLM-induced mouse model of scleroderma, and this is associated with diminished oxidative stress. The results suggest that NAC may be a potential therapeutic agent for patients with scleroderma.

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