Disease-modifying Antirheumatic Drugs: Approaches and Lessons Learned from Traditional Medicine

  • 5,292

    Total Downloads

  • 14k

    Total Views and Downloads

Submit your idea

You will be redirected to our submission process.

Submit your manuscript summarySubmit your manuscript

About this Research Topic

Submission closed

Background

Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are often as a first-line option to treat rheumatic conditions including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). For RA patients, therapy with DMARDs needs to commence right after a diagnosis is made, and comedication of conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs) and biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs) are considered favorable options in case that failed to achieve the aims of the treatment. However, due to the high incidence of adverse events that have been reported with csDMARDs and due to high cost associated with bDMARDs, the interest in complementary and alternative medicinal systems has significantly increased over the years.

As a specific example, Chinese medicinal disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (CM-DMARDs) refers to those Chinese medicine compounds (CMC) with exact DMARDs-like effects. CMC usually consist of several single herbs, with multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway effects against different diseases. A diversified chemical composition is the material basis for the efficacy and toxicity of Chinese medicine compound preparations. This is exemplified in the Chinese battle against COVID-19, where the several well-known CMCs, Qingfei Paidu Decoction, HuaShi BaiDu Formula and XuanFeiBaiDu Granule, were first introduced as treatment options [1-3]. In China, there is a long history and experienced use of CMCs as a viable therapy for patients with diverse rheumatic diseases CMC showed promising outcomes in these patients, including variety of pharmacological effects such as analgesia, anti-inflammatory property and immune suppression. Those drugs demonstrating the ability to have anti-rheumatism effect are being classified as a CM-DMARD. Notably, the role of CM-DMARDs has been extensively investigated and the complex mechanisms behind the action of Chinese medicine compound PSORI-CM02 were studied, and it was revealed that it alleviated IMQ-induced psoriatic dermatitis and inhibited cell proliferation of Th17 by targeting M-MDSCs-induced (monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells) arginase-1. It is important that we note that economic burden and safety issues are the main factors that drive patients to pursue different treatment options. Compared to csDMARDs, tsDMARDs and bDMARDs, CM-DMARDs have fewer side effects and more importantly, the associated costs are lower than with other medications. Consequently, CM-DMARDs are considered acceptable and welcomed as an alternative or complementary treatment option for patients with rheumatic diseases in China. However, as a relatively new concept that was only recently defined, the use and further investigation of CM-DMARDs need to be further explored, especially when it comes to the mechanisms and functions that different CMC can have in different diseases. Moreover, as the effects of CMC are exerted through multiple pathways, an increasing number of studies are warranted, and more efforts should be made to explore challenges and future perspectives in this area of interest.

With this Research Topic we welcome the submission of Original Research, Review, and Systematic Review articles dealing with the use of DMARDs as a form of therapy to treat rheumatic diseases, including but not limited to the following subtopics:

• Omics studies based on effect of DMARDs on rheumatic diseases.

• Meta-analysis looking at the comparison between different types of DMARDs.

• Analysis of the underlying mechanisms and efficacy in the treatment of rheumatic diseases with different types of DMARDS.

-------
All the manuscripts submitted to the collection will need to fully comply with the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology (you can freely download the full version here).

Keywords: Traditional Chinese medicine, ethnopharmacology, antirheumatic drugs, rheumatic disorders

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Topic editors

Frequently asked questions

  • Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

    Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

  • The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

    Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

  • As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

    A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

  • Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and it falls under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

    In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

  • Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

    As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

    Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

     

  • Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

    Check available article types here 

  • Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

    Suggest your topic here 

  • A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

    The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

  • As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

     

    You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

  • As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

  • If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

  • Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

  • Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

  • As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

    Find out more about our Research Topics

  • Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

    Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

  • In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.

     

Impact

  • 14kTopic views
  • 8,296Article views
  • 5,292Article downloads
View impact