Abstract
Novel discoveries in medicine have provided understanding of the mechanisms involved in the development and maintenance of pathologies, thereby leading to the identification of new therapeutic targets and consequently new drugs. Thalidomide, independently of its teratogenic effects, is one drug able to regulate the immune system. Deeper studies about thalidomide have started on the 90s, when some of its action mechanisms were elucidated. Following the initial description of high systemic TNF-α production in patients with erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL), and the reduction of TNF-α caused by the administration of thalidomide in these patients, the drug was shown to present multiple effects, making it difficult to understand the mechanism of its successful use in some pathologies. Such studies have extended the rational application of thalidomide to various disorders in which the participation of one or more factors modulated by the drug has been related. In this review, we describe some of the mechanisms of action of thalidomide, its collateral effects, and some of its pharmacodynamical properties. We also discuss the applications of the drug in various diseases, and especially in leprosy and multiple myeloma, on the basis of an extensive review of the literature.
Keywords: CYP2C19, inflammatory disorders, Cyclooxigenase-2, angiogenesis, immunomodulatory, untreated reactional patients (ENL)
Anti-Inflammatory & Anti-Allergy Agents in Medicinal Chemistry
Title: Thalidomide: An Overview of its Pharmacological Mechanisms of Action
Volume: 5 Issue: 1
Author(s): Elizabeth P. Sampaio, Daniel S. Carvalho, Jose A. C. Nery, Ulisses G. Lopes and Euzenir N. Sarno
Affiliation:
Keywords: CYP2C19, inflammatory disorders, Cyclooxigenase-2, angiogenesis, immunomodulatory, untreated reactional patients (ENL)
Abstract: Novel discoveries in medicine have provided understanding of the mechanisms involved in the development and maintenance of pathologies, thereby leading to the identification of new therapeutic targets and consequently new drugs. Thalidomide, independently of its teratogenic effects, is one drug able to regulate the immune system. Deeper studies about thalidomide have started on the 90s, when some of its action mechanisms were elucidated. Following the initial description of high systemic TNF-α production in patients with erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL), and the reduction of TNF-α caused by the administration of thalidomide in these patients, the drug was shown to present multiple effects, making it difficult to understand the mechanism of its successful use in some pathologies. Such studies have extended the rational application of thalidomide to various disorders in which the participation of one or more factors modulated by the drug has been related. In this review, we describe some of the mechanisms of action of thalidomide, its collateral effects, and some of its pharmacodynamical properties. We also discuss the applications of the drug in various diseases, and especially in leprosy and multiple myeloma, on the basis of an extensive review of the literature.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Sampaio P. Elizabeth, Carvalho S. Daniel, Nery A. C. Jose, Lopes G. Ulisses and Sarno N. Euzenir, Thalidomide: An Overview of its Pharmacological Mechanisms of Action, Anti-Inflammatory & Anti-Allergy Agents in Medicinal Chemistry 2006; 5 (1) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/187152306775537337
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/187152306775537337 |
Print ISSN 1871-5230 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-614X |
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
T2/FLAIR Hyperintensity in Mesial Temporal Lobe: Challenging Differential Diagnosis
Current Medical Imaging Microenvironmental Regulation of Cancer Stem Cell Phenotypes
Current Stem Cell Research & Therapy Scorpion Toxin Polyptides as Therapeutic Agents: An Overview
Protein & Peptide Letters Metabolism of the Endocannabinoids Anandamide and 2-Arachidonoyl Glycerol, A Review, with Emphasis on the Pharmacology of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase, A Possible Target for the Treatment of Neurodegenerative Diseases and Pain
Current Medicinal Chemistry - Central Nervous System Agents Recent Clinical Trials of mTOR-Targeted Cancer Therapies
Reviews on Recent Clinical Trials Design, Synthesis, Computational and Biological Evaluation of Two New Series of 1, 3- and 1,6-dihydroxy Xanthone Derivatives as Selective COX-2 Inhibitors
Letters in Drug Design & Discovery Tracking the Mesenchymal Stem Cell Fate After Transplantation Into the Infarcted Myocardium
Current Stem Cell Research & Therapy ABC Transporters as Potential Targets for Modulation of Drug Resistance
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry Protein Kinase B/AKT and Focal Adhesion Kinase: Two Close Signaling Partners in Cancer
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry A Closer Look at α-Secretase
Current Alzheimer Research Anti-Tumor Activity of Non-Nucleosidic Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors
Current Pharmaceutical Design The Use of Anthracyclines for Therapy of CNS Tumors
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Nutlins and Ionizing Radiation in Cancer Therapy
Current Pharmaceutical Design Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Mononuclear Phagocyte Interactions:Emerging Avenues of Biomarker Discovery, Modes of Viral Persistence and Disease Pathogenesis
Current HIV Research Sphingolipids in Cell Signaling: Their Function as Receptor Ligands, Second Messengers, and Raft Constituents
Current Immunology Reviews (Discontinued) Drug Delivery Systems for Imaging and Therapy of Parkinson's Disease
Current Neuropharmacology Isolation, Structural Determination, and Evaluation of the Biological Activity of 20(S)-25-methoxyl-dammarane-3β, 12β, 20-triol [20(S)-25-OCH3-PPD], a Novel Natural Product from Panax notoginseng
Medicinal Chemistry The Use of Fas Ligand, TRAIL and Bax in Gene Therapy of Prostate Cancer
Current Gene Therapy Organic Nanotheranostics for Photoacoustic Imaging-Guided Phototherapy
Current Medicinal Chemistry Biomimetic Drug Delivery Systems Oriented by Biological Function in Tumor Targeting
Current Drug Targets