Title:Imatinib Mesylate: An Innovation in Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases
Volume: 7
Issue: 3
Author(s): Gholamreza Azizi and Abbas Mirshafiey
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Autoimmune diseases, imatinib mesylate, inflammation.
Abstract: Imatinib mesylate is a selective protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor, which can inhibit BCR/Abl, PDGF-R, c-KIT,
c-fms, TCR/Abl, Lck, FLT-3 and MAPKs activities on various cell types. On immune system, imatinib has antiproliferative
activity and immunomodulatory effects in lymphocytes, macrophages, mast cells and dendritic cells with abrogating
multiple signal transduction pathways involved in pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases e.g. inhibiting IFN-γ,
TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-17 pro-inflammatory cytokines and MMPs secretion. To date, the efficacy of imatinib in numerous
animal model of autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, autoimmune diabetes and glomerulonephritis)
has been demonstrated, but application of this drug in human autoimmune diseases should be tested in future
clinical trials. This review provides an update on the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib mesylate in treatment of
autoimmune diseases and its related recent patents that could be developed as a novel and available therapy for the management
of the autoimmunity improvement.
