Effective B Cell Depletion with Rituximab in the Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases

Passive donor-to-recipient transfer of antiphospholipid syndrome following allogeneic stem-cell transplantation

“…In our patient, a modest improvement in liver function has been observed following rituximab therapy, although these may reflect increased immunosuppression (Table II). The autoantibody titers have changed minimally, perhaps reflecting persistence of autoantibody-producing CD20-negative plasmablasts, which have been demonstrated to be elevated in patients with treatment-refractory SLE [22]. Our observations support the hypothesis that passive transfer of donor immunity occurs but that expression of that immunity (protective or pathologic) is dependent on further stimulation of the memory B-cell population.…”

Rituximab for the treatment of refractory idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP): Report of three cases

“…It appears that by depleting the peripheral blood B cells, rituximab can induce clinical responses in patients pretreated with other immunosuppressive drugs. Although the antibody impairs the secondary immune responses, neither a decrease in the immunoglobulin levels nor an increase in the rate of infectious complications has been reported [5,21].…”

Vaccine Therapy for B-Cell Lymphomas: Next-Generation Strategies

“…10 Professional antigen-presenting cells such as dendritic cells may effectively present antigen to T cells in the absence of B cells. Although we did not measure B cells within lymphatic tissues, other studies have shown that rituximab also depletes B cells in lymph nodes, spleen, and bone marrow in animals 26,27 and humans. 28 These results were consistent with the recent observation that long-lasting CD4 + memory T cells can be induced by hepatitis B vaccination in patients with X-linked agammaglobulinemia, a genetic disease characterized by the lack of circulating B cells.…”