Arsenic Trioxide for Autoimmune Diseases?

Arsenic compounds have been used throughout medicinal history, but they had fallen out of favor by the mid-20^th century. However, in 1971, they were shown to be effective in treating patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (J Clin Oncol 2005; 23:2396), and arsenic trioxide is FDA-approved for this indication. Arsenic trioxide therapy also has shown promise in other hematologic disorders, such as multiple myeloma and myelodysplasia. In a new study, researchers investigated the effects of arsenic trioxide in a mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus.

MRL/lpr mice spontaneously develop a lupus-like syndrome with high levels of autoantibodies and marked proliferation of abnormal double-negative (CD4^–, CD8^–) T-lymphocytes. These mice devel…