The role of free endosomal epitopes in the mechanisms of amelioration and flares of rheumatoid arthritis-associated conditions: pregnancy and infective hepatitis

Background It is known that rheumatoid symptoms improve in pregnancy and in patients who develop infective jaundice. The mechanism of amelioration might involve the direct interaction of free endosomal self-epitopes that are released by the cells of the involved organ with antigen binding sites on the membranes of anti-idiotypic cells, resulting in possible suppressive effects.