title: The effects and mechanisms of mycophenolate mofetil on pulmonary arterial hypertension in rats.
abstract: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe clinical and pathophysiologic syndrome with no effective treatment at present. Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), a prodrug of mycophenolic acid (MPA), has been applied widely to the treatment of connective tissue diseases with the effect of immunosuppressant. Its anti-proliferation has been found recently. Thereby, we tried to examine the effects of MMF on rats with PAH which was induced by monocrotaline injection, so as to investigate the mechanisms of treatment on PAH by MMF. The results substantiated that MMF therapy can alleviate thickening of pulmonary arterial walls and inhibit abnormal vascular remodeling, and the MPA concentrations which demonstrated efficacy in this study are within clinical applicable range, suggesting huge potentiality of MMF in the treatment of human PAH.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University, 100020 Beijing, China. zhengyi_cmu@yahoo.cn
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Mingwei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yongfeng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xuhua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Luling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Mulan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006984:Hypertrophy / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D016686:Monocrotaline / Q000633:toxicity; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009173:Mycophenolic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D016686:Monocrotaline; D009173:Mycophenolic Acid