title: Serotonin type 3 receptor antagonist tropisetron in the treatment of chronic inflammatory rheumatic conditions--preliminary clinical experience.
abstract: Several lines of research indicate that serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) and 5-HT receptors may play a part in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory rheumatic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and scleroderma/progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS). In this paper, case reports on two patients with RA who were successfully treated with 5-HT3 receptor antagonist tropisetron were presented. Short-term oral tropisetron (5-10 mg/d) induced either remission of RA or improvement in RA-related symptoms, which lasted for several weeks or months after the treatment was discontinued. Interestingly, tropisetron was effective in a patient with refractory rheumatoid vasculitis, which is a severe complication that requires high-dose glucocorticoids in most cases. The beneficial effect of 5-HT3 receptor antagonists in RA and PSS suggests that this class of drugs may have potential in the treatment of chronic inflammatory rheumatic conditions. Double blind, placebo-controlled studies are urgently needed to confirm the efficacy and tolerance of 5-HT3 receptor antagonists in larger cohorts of patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University School of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland. phrycaj@icpnet.pl
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hrycaj
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007211:Indoles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058831:Serotonin 5-HT3 Receptor Antagonists; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077526:Tropisetron
chemical_list: D007211:Indoles; D058831:Serotonin 5-HT3 Receptor Antagonists; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists; D000077526:Tropisetron