Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0014070 (encephalomyelitis)
 13,017 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Teriflunomide is an orally available anti-inflammatory drug that prevents T and B cell proliferation and function by inhibition of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase. It is currently being developed for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). We report here for the first time the anti-inflammatory effects of teriflunomide in the Dark Agouti rat model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Neurological evaluation demonstrated that prophylactic dosing of teriflunomide at 3 and 10 mg/kg delayed disease onset and reduced maximal and cumulative scores. Therapeutic administration of teriflunomide at doses of 3 or 10 mg/kg at disease onset significantly reduced maximal and cumulative disease scores as compared to vehicle treated rats. Dosing teriflunomide at disease remission, at 3 and 10 mg/kg, reduced the cumulative scores for the remaining course of the disease. Teriflunomide at 10 mg/kg significantly reduced inflammation, demyelination, and axonal loss when dosed prophylactically or therapeutically. In electrophysiological somatosensory evoked potential studies, therapeutic administration of teriflunomide, at the onset of disease, prevented both a decrease in waveform amplitude and an increase in the latency to waveform initiation in EAE animals compared to vehicle. Therapeutic dosing with teriflunomide at disease remission prevented a decrease in evoked potential amplitude, prevented an increase in latency, and enhanced recovery time within the CNS.
 ...
PMID:Teriflunomide reduces behavioral, electrophysiological, and histopathological deficits in the Dark Agouti rat model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. 1916 51

Teriflunomide, being developed as a potential oral treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS) by sanofi-aventis, is the active metabolite of the rheumatoid arthritis drug leflunomide. Both teriflunomide and leflunomide are inhibitors of the mitochondrial enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase, which is critically involved in pyrimidine synthesis. The production of activated T-cells largely depends on de novo pyrimidine synthesis, and thus pyrimidine depletion is thought to result in the inhibition of immune cell proliferation. Therapeutic efficacy of teriflunomide has been demonstrated in vivo in an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis model of MS using Dark Agouti rats. In a phase II, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of patients with relapsing-remitting MS, treatment with teriflunomide reduced the number of active lesions in the brain and preliminary evidence indicated a slowing in the development of disability. Recently reported data from the phase III TEMSO clinical trial support these initial findings. Compared with current therapies, teriflunomide has the advantage of oral administration. Thus, if good efficacy is demonstrated, teriflunomide may have a role to play in the future treatment of MS.
 ...
PMID:Teriflunomide, an inhibitor of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase for the potential oral treatment of multiple sclerosis. 2115 51