Mizoribine in steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome of childhood

We evaluated a 1-year course of a newly developed immunosuppressant, mizoribine (at a dosage of 3 mg/kg body weight per day), in nine children with steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome. Steroid treatment could be discontinued in two patients and the maintenance dosage of steroid could be reduced to less than half of that given before mizoribine therapy in a third. There were no beneficial effects in the remaining six patients. No adverse effects of mizoribine were observed during the course of therapy. Received September 20, 1996; received in revised form and accepted April 24, 1997     

Efficacy of mizoribine treatment in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome: an open pilot trial

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mizoribine in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome. Forty patients with sicca syndrome, whose conditions were definitely diagnosed as Sjögren’s syndrome, were given mizoribine orally at a dosage of 150?mg/day for 12 months. The percentage change in salivary secretion after 3, 6, and 12 months of the therapy increased to +112.2% (P < 0.001), +119.9% (P < 0.01), and +147.3% (P < 0.001), respectively, compared with the baseline. Serum IgG levels decreased significantly throughout the study, and the level was 1969.4 ± 620.0?mg/dl after treatment for 12 months compared with the pretreatment value of 2094.3 ± 746.6?mg/dl (P < 0.05). The patient’s assessment of clinical signs and symptoms on a 10-cm visual analog scale improved significantly from 7.2 ± 2.3?cm at the start of the treatment to 5.0 ± 1.9?cm after 12 months (P < 0.001). There was a similar improvement in the physician’s assessment using the 10-cm visual analog scale: 7.1 ± 1.6?cm at the start of the treatment and 5.2 ± 1.9?cm after 12 months (P < 0.001). With regard to safety, no serious adverse reactions were observed. Although a controlled study would be required to clarify the efficacy of mizoribine, these preliminary observations indicate its efficacy for ameliorating glandular symptoms through improvements in immune abnormalities in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome.     

咪唑立宾对大鼠肾小球系膜细胞增殖的抑制作用

目的探讨咪唑立宾（MZ）对肾小球系膜细胞增殖的抑制作用及其对细胞周期蛋白依赖性蛋白激酶抑制物p27^kip1表达的影响。方法大鼠系膜细胞同步后分为无血清组、20％FCS刺激组、20％FCS＋MZ组。四甲基偶氮唑盐（MTT）法检测细胞数。BrdU标记法检测S期细胞。流式细胞仪检测细胞周期。Western印迹检测p27^kip1蛋白的表达。结果MZ可抑制20％FCS刺激所致的系膜细胞增殖，呈剂量依赖性。与20％FCS刺激组比较，20％FCS＋MZ组S期细胞的百分比显著降低[（10．28±1．26）％比（21．04±5．38）％，P〈0．05]。MZ可改善由20％FCS刺激诱导的GO／G1期细胞减少[（83．53±2．50）％比（71．15±1．25）％]和S期细胞增加[（12．22±1．22）％比（23．19±0．38）％，P〈0．051。20％FCS刺激后p27^kip1蛋白表达显著下降，MZ上调p27^kip1蛋白表达。结论MZ能够有效抑制系膜细胞增殖，作用时相在G1／S期转化，其抑制系膜细胞增殖的作用部分是通过上调p27^kip1蛋白表达实现的。     

同种肾移植术后应用咪唑立宾免疫抑制治疗的临床研究

目的探讨咪唑立宾(MZR)与环孢素A(CsA)和激素组成基础免疫抑制方案在同种肾移植中的有效性与安全性。方法28例首次肾移植患者(男19例,女9例)随机分为2组:MZR组,14例,MZR初始剂量为1、2mg/(kg·d);MMF组,14例,MMF初始剂量采用1.5～2.0g/d。两组均接受CsA与激素联合的基础免疫抑制方案,CsA浓度保持同一水平,随访6个月。结果两组人、肾存活率均为100%,各出现1例次急性排斥反应,术后24周肌酐平均水平,MZR组为(100.2±1.7)μmol/L,MMF组(98.6±2.5)μmol/L,没有显著性差异(P>0.05)。副作用方面,胃肠道不适和白细胞减少等两组类似,而MZR组出现2例高血糖,可能与激素有关。结论MZR用于肾移植术后维持免疫抑制治疗,可成功替代MMF,有效预防急性排斥发生。     

Mizoribine therapy for patients with lupus nephritis: the association between peak mizoribine concentration and clinical efficacy

The clinical efficacy of mizoribine (MZR; 4-carbamoyl-1-b-d-ribofuranosylimidazolium) in patients with lupus nephritis was investigated. Thirteen Japanese patients with biopsy-proved lupus nephritis were enrolled in this study. A change in global assessments score, total protein (TP) of serum, serum creatinine, creatinine clearance (Ccr), proteinuria, titers of serum anti-ds DNA antibody, C3, C4, and hemolytic complement activity (CH50) were examined. Following MZR treatment, the level of urinary protein decreased (P < 0.05), whereas the level of Ccr increased (P < 0.05). Moreover, the level of TP significantly increased from 5.5 g/dl to 6.3 g/dl (P < 0.01) and the level of C3 increased significantly (P < 0.01). However, there was no change in the levels of both C4 and CH50. The titer of anti-ds DNA antibody significantly decreased (P < 0.05). The dosage of prednisolone could be tapered from 24.8 mg to 14.9 mg daily during the period. The clinical effects associated with MZR concentration in the blood revealed that there was a significant correlation between the peak MZR blood concentration of more than 0.66 μg/ml and clinical improvement (P = 0.021). Our results suggest that an optimal MZR blood concentration was important for the treatment of lupus nephritis. The first two authors contributed equally to this work.     

Use of mizoribine as a rescue drug for steroid-resistant pediatric IgA nephropathy

Recent clinical trials have shown a beneficial effect of mizoribine (Miz), an immunosuppressive drug, in the treatment of new-onset pediatric IgA nephropathy (IgAN). In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of Miz treatment in three children with established steroid-resistant IgAN. The patients had IgAN featuring persistent proteinuria and diffuse mesangial proliferation and had failed to respond to 2 years of treatment with prednisolone. Based upon the second biopsy results, patients were given methylprednisolone (mPSL) pulse therapy that induced a transient reduction in proteinuria, which was reversed when the mPSL dose was tapered. Miz therapy was then instigated in place of pulse mPSL. All three patients showed a substantial reduction in proteinuria and resolution of hematuria within 5 months. A follow-up biopsy in two of the patients showed a substantial reduction in the severity of glomerular lesions and a decrease in the number of activated macrophages. In conclusion, Miz therapy was found to be a safe and effective therapy in three cases of steroid-resistant pediatric IgAN. The ability of Miz to reduce the number of activated macrophages may be an important mechanism by which this drug ameliorated renal disease in these patients.     

Efficacy of mizoribine treatment in patients with SjÖgren’s syndrome: an open pilot trial

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mizoribine in patients with SjÖgrens syndrome. Forty patients with sicca syndrome, whose conditions were definitely diagnosed as SjÖgrens syndrome, were given mizoribine orally at a dosage of 150mg/day for 12 months. The percentage change in salivary secretion after 3, 6, and 12 months of the therapy increased to +112.2% (P 0.001), +119.9% (P 0.01), and +147.3% (P 0.001), respectively, compared with the baseline. Serum IgG levels decreased significantly throughout the study, and the level was 1969.4 ± 620.0mg/dl after treatment for 12 months compared with the pretreatment value of 2094.3 ± 746.6mg/dl (P 0.05). The patients assessment of clinical signs and symptoms on a 10-cm visual analog scale improved significantly from 7.2 ± 2.3cm at the start of the treatment to 5.0 ± 1.9cm after 12 months (P 0.001). There was a similar improvement in the physicians assessment using the 10-cm visual analog scale: 7.1 ± 1.6cm at the start of the treatment and 5.2 ± 1.9cm after 12 months (P 0.001). With regard to safety, no serious adverse reactions were observed. Although a controlled study would be required to clarify the efficacy of mizoribine, these preliminary observations indicate its efficacy for ameliorating glandular symptoms through improvements in immune abnormalities in patients with SjÖgrens syndrome.     

Efficacy and safety of single-dose mizoribine for patients with rheumatoid arthritis: results at 6 months after switching from a multiple-dose regimen without a change in total daily dose

Abstract

To determine the efficacy and safety of single-dose mizoribine (MZR) for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a 6-month, single-arm, open-label, prospective observation study was performed. In patients who had been taking MZR at 100–150 mg/day in 2–3 divided portions continuously for at least 3 months, and who had shown a lack of clinical response, or escape (defined as a lack of response at the time of switching, even if some form of response had been shown before that), multiple-dose administration was switched to single-dose administration without changing the total daily dose. Efficacy was assessed in terms of the disease activity score, using the 28-joint count and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS 28-ESR). Of the 34 enrolled patients, 28 met all the eligibility criteria and were assessed for efficacy, and finally 26 patients were able to receive the single-dose regimen throughout the full 6 months. The DAS28-ESR showed a significant decrease from 2 months after switching, and 46.4% of the 28 patients finally achieved a good or moderate response (3 and 10 patients, respectively). With regard to safety, no serious adverse events were observed. In conclusion, the administration of MZR at 100 or 150 mg in a single dose is thought to be a useful alternative form of MZR therapy.     

A sudden onset of diabetic ketoacidosis and acute pancreatitis after introduction of mizoribine therapy in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Mizoribine has been recognized to have an acceptable toxicity profile compared with other immunosuppressants. In this study, however, we report a case of diabetic ketoacidosis and acute pancreatitis that suddenly occurred in a rheumatoid arthritis patient 2 weeks after introduction of mizoribine therapy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case in the literature to show mizoribine-induced diabetic ketoacidosis. Through prompt diagnosis and treatment, the patient recovered from these extremely rare but potentially lethal complications.     

Mizoribine for crescentic glomerulonephritis with sarcoidosis: effectiveness not only for urinalysis abnormalities but also for hilar lymph node enlargement

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem disease related to helper T cell responses. We recently experienced the case of a 57-year-old woman with sarcoidosis complicated by crescentic glomerulonephritis with low levels of myeloperoxidase-antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody. We herein describe the details of her clinical course and discuss the effectiveness of mizoribine, which has an immunosuppressive effect equivalent to that of mycophenolate mofetil, not only for urinalysis abnormalities but also for hilar lymph node enlargement.