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Dimethyl fumarate – only an anti‐psoriatic medication?
Author(s) -
Meissner Markus,
Valesky Eva Maria,
Kippenberger Stefan,
Kaufmann Roland
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
jddg: journal der deutschen dermatologischen gesellschaft
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.463
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1610-0387
pISSN - 1610-0379
DOI - 10.1111/j.1610-0387.2012.07996.x
Subject(s) - psoriasis , dimethyl fumarate , necrobiosis lipoidica , medicine , fumaric acid , multiple sclerosis , dermatology , granuloma annulare , drug , dithranol , disease , immunology , pharmacology , diabetes mellitus , chemistry , pathology , organic chemistry , endocrinology
Summary Fumaric acid esters have been used successfully in the therapy of psoriasis vulgaris since 1959. In the last 17 years, many of the underlying mechanisms of anti‐psoriatic action, such as a Th1/Th2 shift, a suppression of important leukocyte adhesion molecules, the induction of pro‐apoptotic pathways in T‐cells and recently anti‐angiogenic action, have been discovered. Based on the knowledge of these immunomodulatory characteristics, fumaric acid esters have been shown to be effective or potentially effective in a multitude of dermatological as well as non‐dermatological diseases. The range of new therapeutic targets reaches from multiple sclerosis to illnesses such as necrobiosis lipoidica, granuloma annulare and sarcoidosis. Experimental approaches offer promising, although preliminary, results on the treatment of cancer, malaria, chronic inflammatory lung diseases, and Huntington disease, to name but a few. This valued and well‐known drug mainly prescribed by dermatologists is now experiencing a renaissance far beyond dermatologic applications.