Nihon yakurigaku zasshi. Folia pharmacologica Japonica
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Nippon Yakurigaku Zasshi · Dec 2003
ReviewTyrosine kinase inhibitor as a therapeutic drug for chronic myelogenous leukemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumor.
The Philadelphia chromosome found in leukemia cells of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients is produced by translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22, resulting in expression of a chimera protein of Bcr and Abl kinase in the cytoplasm. Bcr-Abl kinase attracted oncology researchers as a molecular target for CML therapy, and a variety of small Abl kinase inhibitors were synthesized. STI571 (imatinib mesylate) was produced by modification of 2-phenylaminopyrimidine, a core structure of protein kinase C inhibitor, to improve selectivity, stability, solubility, and bioavailability. ⋯ Certain point mutations in the ATP binding site were found to be a cause of resistance to STI571 in both Bcr-Abl and c-Kit kinases. Therefore, it would be better to make a precise therapeutic strategy with STI571 based on the gene analysis data. It is also expected that it will be possible to design an inhibitor to overcome such resistance by using the structural information on the mutants.
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Nippon Yakurigaku Zasshi · Feb 2003
Review[Preclinical and clinical profile of imatinib mesilate, a potent protein-tyrosine kinase inhibitor for CML therapy].
Imatinib mesilate (Glivec) is a protein-tyrosine kinase inhibitor that potently inhibits the Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase as well as the receptors for platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and stem cell factor (SCF), c-Kit, at in vitro and cellular kinase assay levels. Since Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase plays a key role in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients, treatment with imatinib mesilate that potently inhibits Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase could be a promising therapeutic approach to CML. ⋯ Moreover, in vivo data indicated that imatinib mesilate suppress growth and formation of bcr-abl-positive tumors in mice. As the profile expected from the preclinical studies, imatinib mesilate showed impressive hematological and cytogenic responses in the clinical trials, including interferon-alpha-resistant or intolerant patients.
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Nippon Yakurigaku Zasshi · May 2002
Review[Pharmacological and clinical profile of the free radical scavenger edaravone as a neuroprotective agent].
The involvement of oxygen radical species has been implicated in ischemic and post-ischemic brain cell damage. Edaravone (3-methyl-1-phenyl-2-pyrazolin-5-one; M. W. 174.20, MCI-186, Radicut Injection) has an inhibitory effect on lipid peroxidation by scavenging free radicals and prevents vascular endothelial cell injury. ⋯ Edaravone improved the core neurological deficits, impaired activities of daily living, and disability, without serious safety problems. Edaravone was approved in Japan for the treatment of acute brain infarction within 24 h after onset in April, 2001. We hope that edaravone represents a promising neuroprotective agent that can contribute to the treatment of acute ischemic stroke.
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Nippon Yakurigaku Zasshi · Aug 2001
Review[Animal models and peripheral nociception tests for the study of neuropathic pain].
Neuropathic pain associated with abnormal tactile and thermal responses that are extraterritorial to the injured nerve is known to be difficult to diagnose and treat because of clinical observation of limited responsiveness to opioids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. To reproduce the different pathological changes observed in neuropathic pain patients, several laboratory animal models have been proposed. Recent studies using such models suggest the involvement of neuronal plasticity in pain pathways through nociceptive neurons. ⋯ After nerve injury, the nociceptive responses through type I neurons, which are polymodal C-fibers and drive NK1-receptor mechanisms in spinal pain transmission, were completely lost, but without changes in type II ones, which are polymodal C-fibers and drive NMDA receptor-mechanisms, while type III ones, which are capsaicin-insensitive (possibly A-fibers) and drive NMDA-receptor mechanisms, were markedly enhanced. Such pain transmission switch mechanisms are clearly consistent with clinical effectiveness including less sensitivity to morphine and more sensitivity to NMDA-antagonists. This article also presents currently used methods for experimental neuropathic pain models.
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Nippon Yakurigaku Zasshi · Nov 2000
Review[Pharmacological aspects of mammalian hibernation: central thermoregulation factors in hibernation cycle].
Hibernation in mammalians such as hamsters is a physiological state characterized by an extreme reduction of various functions such as body temperature and metabolism. Under such severe conditions, the central nervous system (CNS) activity is maintained at a functionally responsive level. Although hibernation is an interesting behavioral state, the physiological mechanisms of the introduction to and/or the arousal from hibernation have not been clearly defined. ⋯ This result suggests that a different system may suppress the thermogenesis center in the deep hibernation phase. Interestingly, i.c.v. injected thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) elevated the body temperature in both hibernation phases in hamsters. These findings suggest that the central adenosine and TRH play important roles in thermoregulation and that the new thermogenesis system, activating in low-body temperature, is induced in naturally hibernating animals.