A Brief Overview of New Analogues of Mycophenolic Acid, an Immunosuppressant

By Badhan Choudhury and edited by Dr. Subha Sarcar, Chief editor, Article submission wing of Neucrad Health May 14, 2019

Mycophenolic acid is an immunosuppressant drug and is used during organ transplant to prevent rejection. Mycophenolic acid, also known as mycophenolate, has antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and even anticancer properties. It is non-competitive and a reversible inhibitor of dehydrogenase inosine 5-monophosphate(IMPDH). Although this drug is used against acute and chronic transplant rejection, its application is also associated with some side effects such as vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, blood and nervous system disorders.

During the mid-90’s in Poland, primary immunosuppressive agent used against rejection during organ transplant, was Azathioprina (AZA); especially in case of kidney transplantation. Since AZA has got mutagenic properties associated with it and causes severe side effects, its use was reduced over time. Occurrence of these side effects might have been due to the presence of nitro-group associated with AZA molecule, which when ingested, metabolized internally and leads to an abnormal increase of free radicals inside the body, causing oxidative stress. Moreover, the drug also shows hepato-toxicity, impairs bone marrow, hair loss, fever, cardiac arrhythmias and many others abnormal physiological symptoms.

On the contrary it was found that Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF, prodrug of mycophenolic acid), act more efficiently and with lesser side effects. Nowadays, MMF and MPS (Mycophenolic sodium) are the most widely used anti proliferative immunosuppressants used during organ transplant. And the side effects caused by mycophenolic acid application is comparatively minimal and is restricted to digestive, and urogenital disorders etc. Currently research is going on towards finding potential mycophenolic acid derivatives, which can be easily tolerable and will have lesser side effects.

Meet the author:

Badhan Choudhury

She is a 3rd year student of Doctor of veterinary medicine(DVM) at Chittagong Veterinary and animal sciences university, Chittagong, Bangladesh.