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Lexaptepid shows promise for anemia of inflammation treatment
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The experimental drug lexaptepid achieved clinically relevant results in inhibiting the hepcidin production involved in anemia of inflammation, according to recent findings.
Moreover, hepcidin does not appear to disrupt the immune response to inflammation.
In a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial, researchers evaluated 24 healthy men who safely modeled anemia of inflammation using experimental endotoxemia. The participants were administered 2 ng/kg Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide and given IV injection of 1.2 mg/kg lexaptepid or placebo 30 minutes later.
The researchers found that 9 hours after injection of the lipopolysaccharide, the lexaptepid-treated participants experienced a 15.9 ± 9.8 mcmol/L increase from baseline in serum iron vs. a reduction of 8.3 ± 9 mcmol/L in serum iron from baseline in the placebo group (P<.0001).
Furthermore, the researchers found that the controlled inflammatory response induced by the lipopolysaccharide injection was similar between the two groups, with comparable onset of flu-like symptoms, body temperature and white blood cell count elevation, as well as similar increases in inflammatory cytokines.
According to the researcher, these results indicate that lexaptepid did not weaken the mechanism of immune response.
“It is quite encouraging that lexaptepid helped maintain appropriate levels of iron in the bloodstream of healthy volunteers without compromising the immune response,” researcher Lucas van Eijk, MD, of Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, said in a press release. “We are hopeful that, with further study, this first-of-its-kind therapy could significantly improve quality of life for patients suffering from chronic illnesses.”
Disclosure: The researchers reported employment relationships and funding from NOXXON Pharma AG, Berlin.
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