The incidence
of autoimmune diseases increased to the end of twenty centuries. Despite of the
development of diagnosis and therapy in medicine, autoimmune diseases remainedincurable.
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| Autoimmune Disorders |
Only
long-term treatment with harmful agents is available for these patients, such
as methotrexate or other immuno-suppressive drugs. Methotrexate, a synthetic
antifolate was developed in the 1950’s after the discovery that dietary folic
acid deficiency resulted in decreased blast cell count in leukemic patients.
This drug has been extensively investigated and used successfully to treat
solid tumors as well as hematological malignancies. It has been used, in much
lower doses, in autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis,
lupus, sarcoidosis, and eczema. By inhibiting several enzymes of the folic acid
pathway MTX blocks purine and pyrimidine biosynthesis, leading to impaired DNA
replication and cell proliferation.
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