Dimethyl fumarate in the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: an overview.

ABSTRACT: Multiple sclerosis (MS) shares an immune-mediated origin with psoriasis. Long-term safety and efficacy data generated in Europe from usage of fumaric acid formulations in the latter disease constituted grounds to investigate their effects in MS patients. Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) was found to be the active principle in those formulations and in vitro studies have demonstrated that DMF has immune-modulatory properties exerted through abilities to divert cytokine production toward a Th2 profile, both on lymphocytes and microglial cells. More importantly, DMF was discovered to impact the anti-oxidative stress cell machinery promoting the transcription of genes downstream to the activation of the nuclear factor (erythroid derived 2)-like2 (NRF2). DMF exposure increases the cytosol concentrations

SUBMITTER: Bomprezzi R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4286944 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature