autoreaktiver

Autoreaktiver refers to cells or immune responses that react against the body's own antigens. In immunology, the term is most often used for autoreactive lymphocytes, particularly T cells and B cells, that recognize self-components. These cells can arise during immune development, and although central tolerance mechanisms in the thymus and bone marrow delete many autoreactive clones, some escape elimination. Peripheral tolerance, including regulatory T cells and states of anergy, helps prevent these cells from causing harm under normal conditions.

Autoreactive responses are a central concept in autoimmune disease. When tolerance is breached or insufficient, autoreactive lymphocytes can attack self-tissues, leading to organ-specific or systemic diseases. Examples include autoreactive T cells implicated in multiple sclerosis and autoreactive B cells producing autoantibodies in diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus or rheumatoid arthritis. In many conditions, autoantibodies serve as useful diagnostic or prognostic markers, while autoreactive T cells are more challenging to measure directly in routine clinical practice.

Diagnosis and treatment implications focus on detecting autoimmune activity and modulating the immune response. Autoantibody testing (for instance, ANA, anti-dsDNA, or anti-CCP) supports diagnosis and disease monitoring. Therapeutic approaches often involve immunosuppression or targeted therapies that deplete specific immune cell populations, such as B cells, with the aim of reducing autoreactive activity. Ongoing research seeks to understand how autoreactive cells persist in health, how tolerance fails, and how antigen-specific tolerance can be induced.