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Fingolimod effects as a neuroprotectant as well as an immunosuppressant
Author(s) -
Ohara Yoshiro
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
clinical and experimental neuroimmunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.297
H-Index - 15
ISSN - 1759-1961
DOI - 10.1111/cen3.12144
Subject(s) - fingolimod , experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis , sphingosine , sphingosine 1 phosphate receptor , sphingosine 1 phosphate , multiple sclerosis , pharmacology , immunology , immune system , sphingosine kinase 1 , s1pr1 , receptor , medicine , sphingosine kinase , vascular endothelial growth factor , vascular endothelial growth factor a , vegf receptors
As multiple sclerosis ( MS ) is an autoimmune disease caused by autoreactive lymphocytes that specifically attack myelin antigens, the therapy manipulating the immune system (the autoreactive lymphocytes) has been targeted for the treatment of MS . According to this line, a variety of novel immunosuppressants has been developed, and has greatly contributed to the management of MS patients. Fingolimod ( FTY ) is one of those novel drugs. It is a structural analog of sphingosine, and becomes structurally similar to sphingosine‐1‐phosphate after phosphorylated by sphingosine kinase. FTY binds to sphingosine‐1‐phosphate receptor 1 on the surface of lymphocytes, internalizing sphingosine‐1‐phosphate receptor 1. Consequently, FTY suppresses the migration of lymphocytes from lymphoid tissues into the circulation, thereby reducing the infiltration of autoreactive lymphocytes into the central nervous system. Therefore, FTY is a superb immunosuppressant. In this issue, Jin et al. clearly showed that FTY exerts protective effect(s) on axonal impairments, using a murine model for MS , experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Therefore, the dual effects (an immunosuppressant and a neuroprotectant) place FTY as one of the desirable drugs for MS .