Abstract
Multiple sclerosis is a common chronic, disabling autoimmune neurological disease affecting mainly young adults. In its pathomechanism, neurodegenerative and acute inflammatory characteristics are both involved. Disease-modifying therapies aim to reduce relapse-rate and slow down the deterioration in neurological functions. The currently available therapies fail to exert neuroprotective effects and most of them are associated with potentially toxic side-effects, therefore, ongoing research aims to develop novel drug candidates to cover these therapeutic gaps. The kynurenine pathway has been implicated in both the physiological processes of the central nervous system and in the pathomechanism of several neurological disorders as well. Alterations of the kynurenine pathway metabolites have been detected in multiple sclerosis and a number of potential therapeutic targets related to this metabolic route have been already identified. Laquinimod is a quinoline carboxamide showing structural similarities with kynurenic acid, which proved to have beneficial effects on reduction of brain atrophy and disability progression. The kynurenine pathway is therefore a promising target for the development of future drugs for the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
Keywords: Multiple sclerosis, laquinimod, kynurenine system, neuroprotection, neuroinflammation.
Current Drug Targets
Title:Kynurenine System and Multiple Sclerosis, Pathomechanism and Drug Targets with An Emphasis on Laquinimod
Volume: 19 Issue: 7
Author(s): Zsofia Majlath, Adam Annus and Laszlo Vecsei*
Affiliation:
- University of Szeged, Department of Neurology, Semmelweis u. 6, H-6725, Szeged,Hungary
Keywords: Multiple sclerosis, laquinimod, kynurenine system, neuroprotection, neuroinflammation.
Abstract: Multiple sclerosis is a common chronic, disabling autoimmune neurological disease affecting mainly young adults. In its pathomechanism, neurodegenerative and acute inflammatory characteristics are both involved. Disease-modifying therapies aim to reduce relapse-rate and slow down the deterioration in neurological functions. The currently available therapies fail to exert neuroprotective effects and most of them are associated with potentially toxic side-effects, therefore, ongoing research aims to develop novel drug candidates to cover these therapeutic gaps. The kynurenine pathway has been implicated in both the physiological processes of the central nervous system and in the pathomechanism of several neurological disorders as well. Alterations of the kynurenine pathway metabolites have been detected in multiple sclerosis and a number of potential therapeutic targets related to this metabolic route have been already identified. Laquinimod is a quinoline carboxamide showing structural similarities with kynurenic acid, which proved to have beneficial effects on reduction of brain atrophy and disability progression. The kynurenine pathway is therefore a promising target for the development of future drugs for the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
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Cite this article as:
Majlath Zsofia, Annus Adam and Vecsei Laszlo*, Kynurenine System and Multiple Sclerosis, Pathomechanism and Drug Targets with An Emphasis on Laquinimod, Current Drug Targets 2018; 19 (7) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1389450117666161223125417
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1389450117666161223125417 |
Print ISSN 1389-4501 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-5592 |
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