ABSTRACT
The TNF-α signaling pathway is a valuable target in the therapy of autoimmune diseases.TNF-α binds to two different receptors and exerts anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic effects.The drugs of anti-TNF-α are widely used in rheumatoid arthritis, such as infliximab, adalimumab etc.These TNF blockers have become invaluable tools to reduce damages induced by inflammation and allow recovery of the affected tissues.Unfortunately, this therapy has some drawbacks, such as increasing the risk of infection, malignancy and the incidence rate of new auto-immune diseases.Some of these effects are caused by the unwanted abrogation of beneficial TNF signaling.Therefore, elective antagonism of TNFR is an important approach to alleviate the side effects of TNF-α antibody.The medications specifically targeting the TNFR might have better applicability and safety.In this article, research progresses of TNF-α and its receptors in the therapy of rheumatoid arthritis were reviewed.