title: Pentostatin - pharmacology, immunology, and clinical effects in graft-versus-host disease.
abstract: Pentostatin (deoxycoformycin), is one of a number of purine analogues. The drug was originally designed to mimic a form of severe combined immune deficiency, characterised by marked T lymphopenia but variable B cell function. Clinically, the drug has been used primarily to treat a rare type of leukaemia - hairy cell leukaemia. Recently, the drug has seen increasing attention as an immunosuppressant. This review will cover the basic pharmacology and immunological effects of pentostatin. The clinical use of this agent in prevention and treatment of graft-versus-host disease will be examined. Although many of these studies are ongoing, this agent has promise as a novel immunosuppressive agent with a new mechanism of action.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Oncology, 2M89 Bunting Blaustein Building, 1650 Orleans Street, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA.
authors.forename: Meghan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Higman
authors.forename: Georgia B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Vogelsang
authors.forename: Allen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007159:Immunologic Tests; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015649:Pentostatin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D015649:Pentostatin