Repurposing A Diuretic Drug to Treat Skin Inflammation

Immunosuppressive drugs are often used to treat autoimmune diseases, but come with some disadvantages: they can be expensive, difficult to administer, and leave patients prone to infections. New research finds a possible therapy for psoriasis that avoids using immunosuppressive drugs altogether.

In this work, scientists tested drug compounds on their effects on inflammatory signals. They identify that benzamil, a derivative of the diuretic drug amiloride, reverses inflammatory signaling in skin cells. In live-animal studies, they found that topical and systemic versions of the drug inhibited skin inflammation.

Amiloride, a sodium channel inhibitor, was approved to treat high blood pressure by reducing the amount of water in the body. While its derivative benzamil is not yet approved, it is an attractive drug candidate to treat psoriasis without using immunosuppressive drugs.

Citation:

Winge, M. C. G., et al. (2024). Repurposing an epithelial sodium channel inhibitor as a therapy for murine and human skin inflammation. Science translational medicine, 16(777), eade5915. https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.ade5915