Janus kinase inhibitor

Janus kinase inhibitor
Drug class
Class identifiers
ATC codeL04AF
Mode of actionAnti-inflammatory/
immunosuppressant
Mechanism of actionEnzyme inhibitor
Biological targetJanus kinase
Legal status
In Wikidata

A Janus kinase inhibitor, also known as JAK inhibitor or jakinib,[1] is a type of immune modulating medication, which inhibits the activity of one or more of the Janus kinase family of enzymes (JAK1, JAK2, JAK3, TYK2), thereby interfering with the JAK-STAT signaling pathway in lymphocytes.

JAK inhibitors are used in the treatment of some cancers and inflammatory diseases[1][2] such as rheumatoid arthritis[3] and various skin conditions.[4] A Janus kinase 3 inhibitor is attractive as a possible treatment of various autoimmune diseases since its function is mainly restricted to lymphocytes. JAK inhibitors can suppress the signaling of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Pro-inflammatory cytokines are major contributors to the cause of an over active immune system, resulting in inflammation and pain. JAK inhibitors have the ability to slow down this over activity by the suppression of the intracellular signaling.[5]

  1. ^ a b Kontzias A, Kotlyar A, Laurence A, Changelian P, O'Shea JJ (August 2012). "Jakinibs: a new class of kinase inhibitors in cancer and autoimmune disease". Current Opinion in Pharmacology. 12 (4): 464–70. doi:10.1016/j.coph.2012.06.008. PMC 3419278. PMID 22819198.
  2. ^ Pesu M, Laurence A, Kishore N, Zwillich SH, Chan G, O'Shea JJ (June 2008). "Therapeutic targeting of Janus kinases". Immunological Reviews. 223: 132–42. doi:10.1111/j.1600-065X.2008.00644.x. PMC 2634846. PMID 18613833.
  3. ^ Norman P (August 2014). "Selective JAK inhibitors in development for rheumatoid arthritis". Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs. 23 (8): 1067–77. doi:10.1517/13543784.2014.918604. PMID 24818516. S2CID 21143324.
  4. ^ "JAK Inhibitors Showing Promise for Many Skin Problems - Conditions ranging from alopecia to vitiligo". 6 July 2017. Archived from the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  5. ^ Tanaka Y, Luo Y, O'Shea JJ, Nakayamada S (5 January 2022). "Janus kinase-targeting therapies in rheumatology: a mechanisms-based approach". Nature Reviews Rheumatology. 18 (3): 133–145. doi:10.1038/s41584-021-00726-8. PMC 8730299. PMID 34987201.