Lack of effect on cyclic GMP content of cells treated with mycophenolic acid

• Published in: Journal of cyclic nucleotide research Vol. 3; no. 3; p. 219
• Main Authors: Kleinschmidt, W J, Murphy, E B, Hayes, E L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-06-1977
• Subjects: Cell Count; Cell Line; Cyclic GMP - metabolism; Guanosine - pharmacology; HeLa Cells - metabolism; L Cells (Cell Line) - metabolism; Mycophenolic Acid - pharmacology
• ISSN: 0095-1544

Mycophenolic acid, an oncolytic agent and a known inhibitor of guanine ribonucleotide synthesis, has proven to be an effective drug against psoriasis. With reports of greater guantities of c-GMP in psoriatic tissues than in normal tissue, and with the correlation of c-GMP content of cells to proliferation, the effect of mycophenolic acid on cellular c-GMP was investigated. When HeLa, green monkey BSC-1, and mouse L-cells were treated with inhibitory concentrations of mycophenolic acid, no decrease in c-GMP was observed from that of untreated cells. Though mycophenolic acid inhibits guanine ribonucleotide synthesis, this inhibition does not extend to c-GMP synthesis. The inhibition of proliferation of cells by mycophenolic acid then does not include the inhibition of synthesis of c-GMP, but apparently resides solely in limiting the guanylate necessary for nucleic acid synthesis.