objective(s):valproic acid (vpa), a drug used in the treatment of neurological disorders, has been shown to have cytotoxic effects on cancer cells through different mechanisms. telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein reverse transcriptase, is responsible for elongation of the telomere and is activated in cancers. a relation between telomerase activity and resistance to apoptosis has been established. t...

New therapeutic approaches are mandatory for anaplastic thyroid cancer. We investigated the ability of a new combined treatment using valproic acid (VPA), the only clinically available histone deacetylase inhibitor, and the tyrosine-kinase inhibitor imatinib mesylate to control the cell growth of anaplastic thyroid cancer cell lines. We showed that treatment with imatinib alone is unable to aff...

Fetal Valproate Syndrome (FVS) is caused by prenatal exposure to valproic acid (VPA). Clinical phenotype of FVS includes characteristic facial dysmorphism, various congenital defects, developmental delay/mental retardation, and other neurologic deficits. The risk of congenital malfomation in the developing fetus is 2 or 3-fold higher (4-6%) than that of background population. In this report, we...

Myelomeningocele (MMC) is a severe type of neural tube defect (NTD), in which the backbone and spinal canal do not close completely during early embryonic development. This condition results in serious morbidity and increased mortality after birth. Folic acid significantly reduces, and conversely, folate antagonist methotrexate (MTX) and valproic acid (VPA) increase the occurrence of NTDs, incl...

OBJECTIVES As there are conflicting findings regarding the clearance-dose and patient characteristics relationships for valproic acid (VPA), this study was conducted to investigate the relationship between patient demographic characteristics, VPA dosage and the drug clearance in adult Iranian patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients (N= 47) were either on monotherapy with VPA or were under co...

Valproic acid (VPA) is one of the most widely used antiepilepsy drugs. However, several side effects, including weight gain and fatty liver, have been reported in patients following VPA treatment. In this study, we explored the molecular mechanisms of VPA-induced hepatic steatosis using FL83B cell line-based in vitro model. Using fluorescent lipid staining technique, we found that VPA enhanced ...

The outcome of patients with acute myeloid leukemia who are older than 60 years has remained poor because of unfavorable disease characteristics and patient-related factors. The randomized German-Austrian AML Study Group 06-04 protocol was designed on the basis of in vitro synergistic effects of valproic acid (VPA) and all-trans retinoic acid with chemotherapy. Between 2004 and 2006, 186 patien...

Valproic acid (VPA) is an antiepileptic drug used clinically. Because of its known teratogenic properties VPA is not recommended for women of child bearing age. The present study was designed to assess the effects of VPA on both fetal and maternal organs. Randomized groups of pregnant mice were treated as follows: Group 1 (n = 10) 500 mg/kg VPA/day on gestation days 8-11; Group 2 (n = 10) 600 m...

OBJECTIVE To assess the risk of major congenital malformations (MCMs) in association with maternal use of valproic acid (VPA) in monotherapy or adjunctive therapy, and its relationship with dose. METHODS The analysis was based on prospectively acquired data from EURAP, a registry enrolling women treated with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in early pregnancy, in which the primary outcome is presen...

Valproic acid (VPA) can autoinduce its own metabolism. Cases requiring VPA doses >4000 mg/day to obtain therapeutic plasma concentrations, such as these 3 cases, have never been published. Case 1 received VPA for seizures and schizophrenia and had >50 VPA concentrations in 4 years. A high dose of 5,250 mg/day of VPA concentrate was prescribed for years but this dose led to an intoxication when ...