Cellcept (Mycophenolate Mofetil) – Part 2
The active chemical compound in Cellcept is mycophenolic acid (MPA). MPA is a very strong inhibitor (stops the action) of the molecule inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH). This inhibition is reversible in the sense that when Cellcept is discontinued the IMPDH molecule again functions. Blocking the function of IMPDH blocks the formation of T- and B-cell lymphocytes, which are two cell types that figure prominently in the body rejecting organs.
The bioavailability of MPA is higher with use of mycophenolate mofetil (80% – 94%) as compared with enteric coated mycophenolate sodium (70%). MPA is highly bound by the blood protein albumin (97% – 99%). It is metabolised to a molecule MPA-glucoronide (MPAG) in the body by uridine diphosphate gluconosyltransferases (UGTs). Although MPAG builds up to levels 20 times that of MPA it is not pharmacologically active in the body.
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