Mycophenolic acid in dermatology a century after its discovery

Australas J Dermatol. 2015 Feb;56(1):77-83. doi: 10.1111/ajd.12259. Epub 2014 Dec 30.

Abstract

Mycophenolic acid was first discovered in 1913 and first used clinically in the 1970s as an immunosuppressant to prevent organ transplantation rejection. It was later used in the treatment of psoriasis. However due to its side-effect profile and fears over its carcinogenic potential it was abandoned. From the late 1990s a prodrug, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), was developed and more recently, enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (EC-MPS), both of which have gained increasing use in the field of dermatology for a variety of skin conditions. This review discusses the pharmacology, mechanisms of action, side-effects and current clinical applications in dermatology of MMF and EC-MPS.

Keywords: dermatology; dermatomyositis; lichen planopilaris; lichen planus; mycophenolate mofetil; mycophenolate mofetil review; mycophenolic acid; pemphigoid; pemphigus; psoriasis.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Humans
  • Immunosuppressive Agents / adverse effects
  • Immunosuppressive Agents / economics
  • Immunosuppressive Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Mycophenolic Acid / adverse effects
  • Mycophenolic Acid / analogs & derivatives*
  • Mycophenolic Acid / economics
  • Mycophenolic Acid / therapeutic use
  • Skin Diseases / drug therapy*

Substances

  • Immunosuppressive Agents
  • Mycophenolic Acid