Individualized Mycophenolate Mofetil Dosing Based on Drug Exposure Significantly Improves Patient Outcomes After Renal Transplantation

Efficacy and safety of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) may be optimized with individualized doses based on therapeutic monitoring of its active metabolite, mycophenolic acid (MPA). In this 12-month study, 137 renal allograft recipients from 11 French centers receiving basiliximab, cyclosporine A, MMF and corticosteroids were randomized to receive either concentration-controlled doses or fixed-dose MMF. A novel Bayesian estimator of MPA AUC based on three-point sampling was used to individualize doses on posttransplant days 7 and 14 and months 1, 3 and 6. The primary endpoint was treatment failure (death, graft loss, acute rejection and MMF discontinuation). Data from 65 patients/group were analyzed. At month 12, the concentration-controlled group had fewer treatment failures (p = 0.03) and acute rejection episodes (p = 0.01) with no differences in adverse event frequency. The MMF dose was higher in the concentration-controlled group at day 14 (p < 0.0001), month 1 (p < 0.0001) and month 3 (p < 0.01), as were median AUCs on day 14 (33.7 vs. 27.1 mg*h/L; p = 0.0001) and at month 1 (45.0 vs. 30.9 mg*h/L; p < 0.0001). Therapeutic MPA monitoring using a limited sampling strategy can reduce the risk of treatment failure and acute rejection in renal allograft recipients 12 months posttransplant with no increase in adverse events.     

霉酚酸酯对肾病综合征大鼠肾组织白细胞介素8的影响

目的 探讨白细胞介素8(IL-8)在肾病综合征大鼠蛋白尿形成中的作用及霉酚酸酯(MMF)对其的影响。方法 应用阿霉素肾病模型，用MMF对肾病形成过程进行干预。采用放射免疫法测定血清及肾组织IL-8含量。结果MMF可减轻肾病蛋白尿，降低肾组织IL-8含量。结论 MMF降低肾组织IL-8含量，可能是其对肾病综合征大鼠保护作用的机制之一。     

麦考酚酸联合迪银片治疗寻常型银屑病的近期临床疗效观察

目的研究麦考酚酸(MMF)联合迪银片治疗寻常型银屑病的使用方法、近期临床疗效及其副作用。方法46例患者随机分为治疗组和对照组。治疗组23例,MMF1.5 g/d分3次口服,1月后,减为1.0 g 2次/d,共4周,同时服用迪银片5片,3次/d共8周;对照组32例,服用迪银片和火把花根各5片,均3次/d,共8周。结果治疗组基本痊愈14例,显效5例,进步2例,无效2例,有效率91.30%;对照组基本痊愈16例,显效8例,进步2例,无效6例,有效率81.25%。两组疗效差异无显著性(P>0.05)。结论MMF联合迪银片治疗寻常型银屑病疗效与迪银片联合火把花根片相当,有较好的疗效。但因其价格昂贵,可作为二线银屑病治疗药物。     

Sequential study on the treatment of moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis with mycophenolate mofetil and cyclosporin

BACKGROUND: There are numerous studies that individually evaluate the efficacy/effectiveness and toxicity of drugs in the systemic treatment of psoriasis. On the contrary, we can hardly find studies that compare each other. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and compare the effectiveness and toxicity of mycophenolate mofetil and cyclosporin in chronic plaque psoriasis through a prospective, sequential, cross-over, non-randomized, two-phase, open-label study. PATIENTS/METHODS: Eight patients (five women and three men; mean age 57, range 35-78) with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis were included in the study. They were treated with oral mycophenolate mofetil (30 mg/kg/day) over a period of 16 weeks. Following a variable washout period and after a new outbreak of the disease, oral cyclosporin was introduced at a dose of 4 mg/kg/day. During both treatment regimens, follow-up visits were performed at 3, 8 and 16 weeks. RESULTS: In both groups, the PASI started to decrease once treatment was begun. Cyclosporin was faster and statistically a lot more effective than mycophenolate mofetil, reaching a higher number of complete remissions and better percentages of PASI improvement from baseline (45.7%, 60.2% and 60.5% at 3, 8 and 16 weeks respectively for mycophenolate mofetil, and 89.7%, 95.3% and 95.3% respectively at the same intervals for cyclosporin). Cyclosporin was also more predictable in its action as the percentage of improvement along the follow-up visits had a much wider range for mycophenolate mofetil. Overall, the tolerability of both drugs was good. None of the patients had to discontinue treatment because of an adverse event. Two patients treated with cyclosporin showed increased plasma levels of creatinine. CONCLUSIONS: Cyclosporin is more effective, fast, and predictable in its effect than mycophenolate mofetil to control moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis. Both drugs are well tolerated in short courses of treatment.     

麦考酚酸酯及其临床应用进展

目的:麦考酚酸酯(MMF)是一种新型的免疫抑制剂.在临床应用中,MMF的使用也越来越广泛,已不仅仅局限于器官移植,还涉及到系统性红斑狼疮(SLE)、自体免疫风湿性疾病的治疗,以及在糖尿病,肺部血管高压的辅助治疗等诸多方面.肠包衣麦考酚酸钠,是一种新的可抵抗胃溶作用的麦考酚酸肠包衣剂型,药物在肠内释放,可以降低胃肠道(GI)不良反应的发生.     

Empfehlungen für die Anwendung der Immunapherese bei der Therapie bullöser Autoimmundermatosen

The etiology of epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) is unknown. EBA may be associated with other autoim‐mune systemic diseases; it also has been described in connection with different malignant tumors, showing complete remission after successful treatment of the tumor.In such cases, EBA may be regarded as a paraneo‐plastic dermatosis. We detected a highly differentiated neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer in a 78‐year‐old woman with EBA. Even thought her tumor was completely removed and the patient has been disease‐free for over seven years, a complete regression of her autoimmune bullous dermatosis could not be induced. By using intravenous immunoglobulins in combination with mycophenolate mofetil, further blister formation could be ameliorated.     

Plasma Concentrations of Mycophenolic Acid Acyl Glucuronide Are Not Associated with Diarrhea in Renal Transplant Recipients

The aim of this study was to determine whether plasma concentrations of the acyl (AcMPAG) and phenolic (MPAG) glucuronide metabolites of mycophenolic acid (MPA) were related to diarrhoea in renal transplant patients on mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) with cyclosporine (CsA) or tacrolimus (TCL). Blood samples (0, 30, 120 min) were taken at days 3, 10, week 4, months 3, 6 and 12 for determination of MPA, MPAG and AcMPAG. MPA-AUC was estimated using validated algorithms. Two hour AUCs were calculated for MPAG and AcMPAG. Immunosuppressive therapy consisted of CsA/MMF (n= 110) and of TCL/MMF (n= 180). In 70/290 (24%) patients 86 episodes of diarrhoea were recorded during 12 months. Significantly more patients on TCL (31.1%) suffered from diarrhea compared to CsA (12.7%). MMF dose, MPA-AUC and the 2 h AUCs of MPAG and AcMPAG did not differ between patients with and without diarrhoea. Plasma AcMPAG and MPAG concentrations were substantially higher in patients on CsA compared with TCL, while MPA-AUC was lower in the former group. These data support the concept that CsA inhibits the biliary excretion of MPAG and AcMPAG, thereby potentially reducing the risk of intestinal injury through enterohepatic recycling of MPA and its metabolites.     

Mycophenolate Mofetil Is Associated with Altered Expression of Chronic Renal Transplant Histology

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) reduces acute rejection in controlled trials of kidney transplantation and is associated with better registry graft survival. Recent experimental studies have demonstrated additional antifibrotic properties of MMF, however, human histological data are lacking. We evaluated sequential prospective protocol kidney biopsies from two historical cohorts treated with cyclosporine (CSA)-based triple therapy including prednisolone and either MMF (n = 25) or azathioprine (AZA, n = 25). Biopsies (n = 360) were taken from euglycemic kidney-pancreas transplant recipients. Histology was independently assessed by the Banff schema and electron microscopic morphometry. MMF reduced acute rejection and OKT3 use (p < 0.05) compared with AZA. MMF therapy was associated with limited chronic interstitial fibrosis, striped fibrosis and periglomerular fibrosis (p < 0.05-0.001), mesangial matrix accumulation (p < 0.01), chronic glomerulopathy scores (p < 0.05) and glomerulosclerosis (p < 0.05). MMF was associated with delayed expression of CSA nephrotoxicity, reduced arteriolar hyalinosis, striped fibrosis and tubular microcalcification (p < 0.05-0.001). The beneficial effects of MMF remained in recipients without acute rejection. Retrospective analysis shows that MMF therapy was associated with substantially reduced fibrosis in the glomerular, microvascular and interstitial compartments, and a delayed expression of CSA nephrotoxicity. These outcomes may be due to a limitation of immune-mediated injury and suggest a direct effect of reduced fibrogenesis.     

Renoprotective effects of combination of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor with mycophenolate mofetil in diabetic rats

Objective and design Previously it was shown that blocking of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) by angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, or suppression of inflammatory responses by immunosuppressive drugs such as mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) could attenuate renal injury in diabetic rats. Whether RAS blockade combined with an immunosuppressive drug provides superior renoprotection against diabetic nephropathy has not been clearly delineated. Materials Diabetes was induced by injection of streptozotocin after uninephrectomy. Treatment Rats were randomly separated into five groups: control, diabetes, diabetes treated with enalapril (an ACE inhibitor, 10 mg/kg/d by gastric gavage), diabetes treated with MMF (10 mg/kg/d by gastric gavage), or diabetes treated with a combination of both agents and were followed for 8 weeks. Methods 24 h urinary albumin excretion rate (AER) was determined, renal injury was evaluated, immunohistochemistry for ED-1 macrophage marker, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) were performed, and expression of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 protein was determined by Western blotting analysis. Results Diabetes was associated with a considerable increase in AER. Both enalapril and MMF retarded the increase in albuminuria, which was nearly completely abrogated by combination therapy. Increased glomerular volume and tubulointerstitial injury index in diabetic rats was attenuated by treatment with either enalapril or MMF and further reduced by the combination of the two. Elevated malondialdehyde levels in renal tissue were reduced by enalapril or MMF and, more effectively, by combined enalapril with MMF. Renal overexpression of ICAM-1 was not retarded by enalapril and attenuated by MMF or combined enalapril with MMF. Combination therapy was associated with a superior suppression of diabetes-induced macrophage recruitment and overexpression of MCP-1 and TGFβ1 compared to either monotherapy in renal tissue. Conclusion The combination of enalapril and MMF confers superiority over monotherapy in renoprotection, a mechanism which may be at least partly correlated with synergistic suppression of increased macrophage recruitment and overexpression of MCP-1 and TGF-β1 in renal tissue in diabetic rats. Received 26 July 2005; returned for revision 5 October 2005; returned for final revision 9 January 2006; accepted by M. Katori 23 January 2006     

Differential Effect of Diarrhea on FK506 Versus Cyclosporine A Trough Levels and Resultant Prevention of Allograft Rejection in Renal Transplant Recipients

Diarrhea is the most frequently reported adverse event in patients treated with mycophenolate mofetil. Twenty-six renal transplant patients on a mycophenolate mofetil-based immunosuppressive regime with persistent afebrile diarrhea were examined. Diarrhea caused a significant rise in FK-506 trough levels despite intake of stable doses, necessitating FK-506 dose reductions of 30% to obtain pre-diarrhea trough levels. In contrast, trough levels of cyclosporine A remained stable without dose adjustments. This suggests that absorption and/or metabolism is differentially altered for FK506 compared with cyclosporine A in patients with diarrhea. In nine patients mycophenolate mofetil was reduced or stopped because of persistent diarrhea without identifiable cause. This resulted in end-stage renal disease because of chronic rejection in two patients, and in acute rejection in two patients, all taking FK506 and steroids. Therefore, dose adjustments of FK506 in patients with diarrhea must be carefully monitored, especially when doses of mycophenolate mofetil are also reduced.