Methotrexate in type 1 diabetes mellitus:advances research / 军事医学

ABSTRACT

Type 1 diabetes mellitus(T1DM),also known as insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), is classified as an autoimmune disease.Academia currently define it as one of the important autoimmune diseases(IAIDs).The most significant pathophysiological characteristics of T1DM are the pathological humoral and cellular autoimmune response which results in damage to pancreaticβ-cell and absolute reduction insulin.Thus, the mainstream traditional therapy for T1DM has been to chronically replenish insulin or substitutes.Nevertheless, this approach may generate a number of side effects, especially hypoglycemia reaction, hypoglycemic coma and insulin resistance.In recent years, the clinical use of methotrex-ate(MTX) as an immunity inhibitor or regulator aiming at pathogenesis of T1DM has received increasing attention and will become another significant case where an old drug is used for new purposes.The advances in research on MTX in T1DM are discussed in this paper.