B cell depletion in autoimmune rheumatic diseases

Rituximab is a chimeric mouse–human monoclonal antibody, which binds to CD20, a B cell surface marker, leading to cell death by complement induced lysis and apoptosis. Since the introduction of this drug in the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, its applications have been extended to autoimmune diseases. This review summarizes the actual possible uses of this novel immune system targeted drug, and explains the mechanism of B cell depletion in autoimmune diseases.