Mesalazine

Mesalazine, also called 5-aminosalicylic acid, is an anti-inflammatory drug used mainly to treat ulcerative colitis. It acts chiefly within the lining of the bowel.

Arachidonic acid pathway: A set of enzyme pathways that convert membrane fatty acids into signaling molecules, including prostaglandins and leukotrienes. Mesalazine can reduce inflammatory signaling involving products of this pathway.
Ulcerative colitis: A chronic inflammatory bowel disease that causes continuous inflammation of the colon, beginning at the rectum. Mesalazine is a standard treatment for mild to moderate disease and can help maintain remission.
Sulfasalazine: A prodrug split by colonic bacteria into 5-aminosalicylic acid and sulfapyridine. It releases the same active 5-aminosalicylic acid moiety but causes additional sulfapyridine-related adverse effects.
5-Aminosalicylic acid: An aromatic compound containing amino and carboxylic acid groups, also known as mesalazine. This chemical name is the basis for mesalazine’s alternative name, 5-ASA.
Adverse drug reaction: An unintended harmful response to a medicine used at an appropriate dose. Mesalazine can cause adverse effects ranging from headache and nausea to rare organ injury.
Cyclooxygenase: An enzyme family that converts arachidonic acid into prostaglandin precursors. Inhibition of cyclooxygenase is one proposed contributor to mesalazine’s anti-inflammatory effects.
Proctitis: Inflammation of the rectum, which can have infectious, inflammatory, or other causes. Rectal mesalazine is commonly used when ulcerative colitis is limited to the rectum.
Olsalazine: A prodrug composed of two 5-aminosalicylic acid molecules joined by an azo bond. It delivers 5-aminosalicylic acid to the colon through bacterial cleavage, unlike mesalazine’s coated formulations.
Prodrug: A pharmacologically inactive or less active compound converted in the body into an active drug. Some related aminosalicylates use prodrug conversion to release 5-aminosalicylic acid in the colon.
Interstitial nephritis: Inflammation of the kidney’s interstitial tissue, which can impair kidney function. Rare mesalazine-associated cases make periodic renal assessment clinically relevant.

Linked from 2 pages