title: Emerging pharmacologic therapies for primary sclerosing cholangitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The only currently approved treatment for primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is liver transplantation, with a median time to transplant of 12-18 years after diagnosis. There are a number of emerging drugs that have the potential to meet this critically unmet need that will be summarized and discussed herein.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although the cause of PSC is unknown, there are a number of novel therapeutics under development. These drugs target presumed pathogenic mechanisms largely extrapolated from ex-vivo and in-vivo preclinical models, as well as translational observations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Future therapeutic strategies for PSC may include a multitude of complex pathogenic mechanisms encompassing pathways of immunomodulation, the microbiome and inflammation-related fibrosis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Angela C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Konstantinos N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Lazaridis
authors.forename: Nicholas F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: LaRusso
authors.forename: Gregory J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Gores
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002635:Chenodeoxycholic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015209:Cholangitis, Sclerosing / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods; D000069467:Fecal Microbiota Transplantation; D058607:Fibric Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D029363:Organic Anion Transporters, Sodium-Dependent / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D027981:Symporters / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D058607:Fibric Acids; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D029363:Organic Anion Transporters, Sodium-Dependent; D027981:Symporters; C464660:obeticholic acid; D002635:Chenodeoxycholic Acid; C071908:sodium-bile acid cotransporter; D014580:Ursodeoxycholic Acid