Authors: Fogh, K.; Kragballe, K.

Source: Current Pharmaceutical Design, Volume 6, Number 9, 1 June 2000 , pp. 961-972(12)

Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

Abstract:

Within the past decade it has been shown that psoriasis can be treated topically with analogs of vitamin-D3 . Impaired differentiation and increased proliferation of keratinocytes are key features in psoriatic lesions together with a local activation of T lymphocytes. Evidence has accumulated showing that analogs of vitamin D3 increase differentiation and inhibit proliferation of keratinocytes. Therefore, analogs of vitamin D3 have been investigated in a number of trials showing improvement of psoriasis. It has been shown that vitamin D analogs are better than their vehicle and show the same potency as potent topical steroids. However, vitamin D analogs have been proven efficacious and without side effects also when used on long term basis. Vitamin D analogs can be used both as monotherapy and in combination topical steroids, UVB, PUVA, retinoids and cysclosporine. The vitamin D3 analog calcipotriol has been investigated in most detail and is available as an ointment, a creme and as a scalp solutation. From clinical studies involving thousands of patients, it can be concluded that calcipotriol is efficacious, safe, well tolerated and can be used on a long term basis. Other analogs are available, however, these analogs have not been studied in greater details yet.

Keywords: Vivamin D3 analog; Calcipotriol; Tacalcitol; Maxacalcitol; Combination therapies; PUVA; Cyclosporine (CSA); Acitretin; Tacalcitol

Document Type: Review article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1381612003400128

Publication date: 2000-06-01

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• Current Pharmaceutical Design publishes timely in-depth reviews covering all aspects of current research in rational drug design. Each issue is devoted to a single major therapeutic area. A Guest Editor who is an acknowledged authority in a therapeutic field has solicits for each issue comprehensive and timely reviews from leading researchers in the pharmaceutical industry and academia.
  
  Each thematic issue of Current Pharmaceutical Design covers all subject areas of major importance to modern drug design, including: medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, drug targets and disease mechanism.

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