Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0003873 (rheumatoid arthritis)
 53,068 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The etiology of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown. Virus infection is one of alleged factors initiating the disease process. In view of this, the authors undertook a trial of administration of an antiviral and immunostimulating preparation - isoprinosine, given in the early phase of the disease prior to the development of erosions. Isoprinosine was given to ten seropositive cases of rheumatoid arthritis (two males, eight females) aged 34-61 years, with disease duration from 6 months to 5 years treated previously only with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Isoprinosine was administered for 4 weeks (2 weeks of 3.0 g daily and 2 weeks of 1.5 g daily). After the treatment, a statistically significant reduction was observed in the number of joints painful on pressure, the number of swollen joints, and the duration of morning stiffness. The grip strength of the left hand was increased. The ESR and serum uric acid level were not changed significantly. The titre of Waaler-Rose reaction in four patients was decreased, in two it was increased, and in four it remained unchanged. No side effects were observed during the treatment. In the light of these observations it seems worthwhile to continue further studies on the action of isoprinosine in early rheumatoid arthritis.
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PMID:Isoprinosine in the early pre-erosive stage of rheumatoid arthritis: a pilot study. 245 93

Methisoprinol (Isoprinosine), a purine derivative, has been shown to exert a number of immunopharmacological effects, both in vitro and in vivo, in animal and human studies. The agent, somehow mimicking the effects of thymic factors, induces the appearance of phenotypic markers of differentiation on immature precursor T cells; enhances the proliferative response of murine and human lymphocytes to mitogens or antigens, augments helper or suppressor T cell functions and increases the production of lymphotoxin a lymphokine. It has also been shown that this drug can potentiate the effects of macrophage activating factor to stimulate macrophage, and of interferon to protect mice against experimental viral and tumor challenges. In humans, beneficial results have been reported from clinical trials testing the effects of methisoprinol in a variety of diseases including subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), acute viral encephalitis, recurrent mucocutaneous infections due to type I and II Herpes viruses as well as in immune restoration of cancer patients with immunodepression following radiotherapy. The drug is also being studied in immunopathological disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus. Sjogren's disease and type A hepatitis. The large spectrum of effects of methisoprinol on a number of immune parameters, the increasing evidence of its therapeutic value in several pathological conditions and its safety of use qualifies this drug as an interesting immunoregulating agent.
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PMID:A recent overview on in vitro and in vivo immunological activities of methisoprinol. 617 7

Isoprinosine (IPS) is a new anti-viral agent which appears to have immunomodulatory activities which include its ability to enhance the in vitro blastogenic responses of normal lymphocytes to mitogens. The present study compares the effects of IPS on the in vitro immune functions of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with its effects on PBMC from normal controls. Each mitogen (Con A, PHA or PWM) was used at its optimal concentration with a range of IPS concentrations (0-25 micrograms/ml). PHA-induced blastogenesis by PBMC from all three groups was enhanced by IPS at or above 5 micrograms/ml. The Con A-induced responses of SLE lymphocytes were significantly enhanced over controls by IPS (P less than 0.02 at 5 micrograms/ml) while those of RA lymphocytes were not. IPS had little effect on PWM-induced blastogenesis by RA lymphocytes but did enhance the blastogenic responses of SLE lymphocytes (P less than 0.01 at 5 micrograms/ml). In contrast, the characteristically high immunoglobulin synthesis by SLE lymphocytes was decreased by IPS. The mechanism responsible for these effects is not known but IL-2 production by patient lymphocytes in vitro which was low for both RA (P less than 0.01) and SLE (P less than 0.02) increased significantly (P less than 0.05) when SLE lymphocytes were cultured with IPS. These data identify IPS as an agent for the study of aberrant immune regulation in autoimmune diseases and suggest that it may have potential therapeutic value in SLE.
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PMID:Immunomodulation by isoprinosine: effects on in vitro immune functions of lymphocytes from humans with autoimmune diseases. 619 May 98

Twenty patients with classical or proved rheumatoid arthritis were treated with Isoprinosine. 13 patients received a dose of 25 mg/kg/day and 7 received a dose of 50 mg/kg/day, continuously for 2 months and then discontinuously, 5 days every fortnight. The series being treated with 25 mg/kg/day (7 patients) have received treatment for 12 months. No side effects have been observed; the only reason for ceasing treatment was its ineffectiveness (after at least 3 months of administration). The dosage of the associated anti-inflammatory drugs did not need to be increased, but neither was it decreased. The authors conclude that Isoprinosine is largely ineffective clinically, on laboratory tests and in terms of immunology, at least with the therapeutic protocols tested here.
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PMID:[Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis with isoprinosine. Personal experience]. 619 34