GI: Inflammatory bowel disease

Question 1

Chronic inflammatory bowel diseases include what?

Answer 1

Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative colitis.

Question 2

What is sulfasalazine?

Answer 2

Sulfasalazine is a combination of 5-aminosalicylic acid (‘5-ASA’) and sulfapyridine; sulfapyridine acts only as a carrier to the colonic site of action but still causes side-effects.

Question 3

What is the purpose of the sulfapyridine in suflasalazine?

Answer 3

Sulfapyridine acts only as a carrier to the colonic site of action but still causes side-effects.

Question 4

In the newer aminosalicylates, such as what?, the sulfonamide-related side effects of sulfasalazine are avoided, but 5-aminosalicyclic alone can still cause side-effects including blood disorders and lupus-like syndrome.

Answer 4

Newer aminosalicylates:
Mesalazine (5-aminosalicyclic acid)

Balsalazide sodium (a pro-drug of 5-aminosalicylic acid)

Olsalazine sodium ( a dimer of 5-aminosalicylic) which cleaves in the lower boweel.

Question 5

Infliximab, adalimumab and golimumam are monoclonal antbodies which inhibit what?

Answer 5

The pro-inflammatory cytokine, tumour necrosis factor alpha.