Dimethyl fumarate ameliorates chronic graft-versus-host disease by inhibiting Tfh differentiation via Nrf2

Abstract

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), characterized by chronic tissue inflammation and fibrosis involving multiple organs, remains a major complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is an anti-inflammatory drug approved for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and psoriasis. We previously reported that DMF effectively inhibits acute GVHD (aGVHD) while preserving the graft-versus-leukemia effect. However, the role of DMF in cGVHD progression remains unknown. Here, we found that DMF administration significantly suppresses follicular helper T cell (Tfh) differentiation, and germinal center formation and alleviates disease severity in different murine cGVHD models. Mechanistically, DMF treatment downregulates IL-21 transcription by activation of Nrf2, thus orchestrating Tfh-related gene programs both in mice and humans. The inhibitory role of DMF on Tfh cell differentiation was diminished in Nrf2 deficient T cells. Importantly, the therapeutic potential of DMF in clinical cGVHD has been validated in human data whereby DMF effectively reduces IL-21 production and Tfh cell generation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from active cGVHD patients and further attenuates xenograft GVHD. Collectively, our findings reveal that DMF potently inhibits cGVHD development by repressing Tfh cell differentiation via Nrf2, paving the way for the treatment of cGVHD in the clinic.