Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0024141 (systemic lupus erythematosus)
 44,322 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Atabrine has been available for nearly 60 years. It has a variety of actions and has been administered to millions of individuals. Its antirheumatic properties have been well documented but have not been exploited optimally for a variety of reasons. The drug is generally quite safe and could be used in low doses in lupus and rheumatoid arthritis patients as a steroid-sparing agent or synergistically with hydroxychloroquine. Its bothersome side effects should not deter the clinician from using it, because they are easy to deal with or prevent (Table 5). Future studies should attempt to better characterize the immunosuppressive actions of this powerful drug, particularly in the treatment of lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis. Studies of the role of combination or single-agent antimalarial therapy in combination with other "remittive" drugs could be of great potential benefit.
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PMID:The use of quinacrine (Atabrine) in rheumatic diseases: a reexamination. 265 71

B-Lymphocyte-activating factor (BAFF/BLyS) is a survival factor for B cells, belonging to the tumor necrosis ligand super family. Serum BAFF levels have been found to be elevated in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Neutralization of BAFF activity was suggested as an additional therapeutic approach in SLE. To determine the effect of add-on Quinacrine (Qn) treatment on serum BAFF levels and the effect of this treatment on SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI), antidsDNA and anticardiolipin (aCL) antibody levels, we treated 29 stable SLE patients, who were maintained on prednisolone and hydroxychloroquine and in some on azathioprine (AZT), with additional Qn (100 mg/d) with an aim to further reduce disease activity. SLEDAI, antidsDNA, aCL antibodies and serum BAFF levels were assessed before and 3 months after the addition of Qn. Three months following Qn initiation, a reduction in SLEDAI was noticed in 19/29 patients (mean 8.8 +/- 2.3 to 3.3 +/- 1.5, P = 0.009), followed by reduction or discontinuation of prednisolone in all patients and the discontinuation of AZT in five patients. Serum BAFF levels were significantly reduced in 8/12 patients (mean 6.3 +/- 0.5 to 3.0 +/- 0.56 ng/ml P = 0.0001). This reduction was found in correlation with a decrease in aCL titres. However, the decrease in SLEDAI scores and antidsDNA antibody titres was unrelated to the decrease in serum BAFF or aCL levels. We conclude that the addition of Qn to previous therapeutic regimens in active SLE is beneficial and seems to reduce SLEDAI scores, serum BAFF and aCL levels and therefore should be considered in many of our SLE patients before aggressive treatments are given.
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PMID:The reduction of serum B-lymphocyte activating factor levels following quinacrine add-on therapy in systemic lupus erythematosus. 1662 30

Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are antimalarials used as first-line treatment of cutaneous lupus. Quinacrine is not often employed by Spanish physicians due to a lack of information about its use and the fact that it is not marketed in Spain. It is effective in monotherapy or in combination therapy with other antimalarials. One of the advantages of quinacrine over chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine is that it does not appear to cause retinal toxicity. Quinacrine is used as second-line therapy in patients with pre-existing eye problems that contraindicate treatment with chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine (after evaluation of which drug has the better risk-benefit relationship), and in combination therapy with other antimalarials inpatients with resistance or only a partial response to chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine. We report 8 cases of patients with cutaneous lupus who received treatment with quinacrine in monotherapy or in combination with others antimalarials. Lesions resolved in 5 patients and improved in 3. Therapy had to be withdrawn in 1 patient due to an exacerbation of his psoriasis.
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PMID:[Quinacrine in the treatment of cutaneous lupus erythematosus: practical aspects and a case series]. 2010 93

Although treatments have improved patient prognosis in surgically resectable colorectal cancer, new effective drugs with improved safety profiles are needed to improve the currently poor outcomes of patients with recurrent or metastatic colorectal cancer. Quinacrine, a small molecule anti-malarial agent that has activity in giardiasis, lupus, prion disease, and used as a means of non-surgical sterilization, has shown cytotoxic activity across a broad range of cancers. Here, we evaluate the potential of adding quinacrine to anticancer chemotherapeutics and targeted agents as a potential novel combinatorial therapy for advanced colon cancer. We show that quinacrine synergizes with 5-fluorouracil and significantly enhances the cytotoxicity of sorafenib in a panel of 10 human colorectal cancer cell lines, including those with KRAS mutations protein gel blot analysis confirmed that quinacrine's anticancer activity partially arises from its ability to stabilize p53 and lower anti-apoptotic protein levels. In a series of in vivo studies, quinacrine monotherapy lowered the tumor load of nu/nu mice bearing human colorectal cancer xenografts. In combination, quinacrine and 5-Fluorouracil significantly delayed tumor growth of a variety of different xenografts, as compared to each agent administered alone. Our results suggest that the administration of quinacrine in combination with chemotherapeutic agents and targeted agents should be further explored in patients with recurrent, locally advanced, or metastatic colorectal cancer.
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PMID:Quinacrine synergizes with 5-fluorouracil and other therapies in colorectal cancer. 2172 13

Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) is a disfiguring and potentially disabling disease that causes significant morbidity in patients. Antimalarials are an important class of medication used to treat this disease and have been the first-line systemic therapy since the 1950s. Quinacrine, in particular, is used as an adjuvant therapy to other antimalarials for improved control of CLE. Quinacrine is currently unavailable in the USA, which has taken away an important component of the treatment regimen of patients with CLE. This paper reviews the evidence of available local and systemic therapies in order to assist providers in choosing alternative treatments for patients who previously benefited from quinacrine therapy.
Lupus Sci Med 2020 10
PMID:Candidate drug replacements for quinacrine in cutaneous lupus erythematosus. 3308 64