Methotrexate therapy for Crohns disease: long-term efficacy and safety

Abstract

pide enema therapy (150 nrg rebamipide in 60 ml saline containing 1.5 % carboxymethylcellulose, twice a day) tot 20 days, during which the doses of predrnsolone were kept constant. Resuhs: When cdonic T84 ceils were stimulated with intiammatory cytokines, rebamipide suppressed the production o{ IL-1 [3 at the concemration ranges of 1-100 p.g/ml. In comrast, prednisolone (0.1 to 10 ~g/ml) and 5-ASA (0.1 to 10 lag/ml) did not show a W inhibitory eft~:cts on cytokine production by epithelial cells. In the experiments of wound repair, addition of reba mipide (1-100 tag/mI) recovered the delay o[ epithelial cell restitution induced by hydroxyperoxide. Clinically, at 20 days after rebamipide therapy, thirteen patients (93%/showed an improvement in clinical symptoms and QOL scores, an d 10 (71%) were judged to be colonoscopically responders with decreases in 1L-113 contents in organ cultures of mucosaI tissues and their histological activity of inflammation. No significant side effects were observed after recta} rebamipide administration Conclusions: The effects of rebamipide on cytokme production and restitution by epithelial cells may be related to clinical efficacy of its enema therapy in UC patients..