Midkine: an emerging target of drug development for treatment of multiple diseases.

Abstract

UNLABELLED:

Midkine is a multifunctional factor and has anti-apoptotic, migration-promoting, angiogenic, anti-microbial and other activities. Midkine ameliorates ischemic injury in the heart and brain, enhances oocyte maturation, and is involved in neurogenesis. On the other hand, midkine is an important factor in the etiology of various diseases, especially those with inflammatory backgrounds. Furthermore, midkine is overexpressed in most malignant tumors and plays roles in their invasive phenotypes as well as in their resistance to chemotherapeutics. Therefore, midkine itself is expected to be useful for the treatment of brain and heart diseases, while midkine inhibitors are promising for the treatment of malignant tumors, multiple sclerosis, restenosis, renal diseases, hypertension and osteoporosis. Blood levels of midkine are also expected to be helpful as disease markers, especially as cancer markers.

LINKED ARTICLES:

This article is part of a themed section on Midkine. To view the other articles in this section visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2014.171.issue-4.

• Authors: Takashi Muramatsu, Kenji Kadomatsu
• Journal: British journal of pharmacology (Br J Pharmacol) Vol. 171 Issue 4 Pg. 811-3 (Feb 2014) ISSN: 1476-5381 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 24460672 (Publication Type: Editorial)
• Copyright: © 2014 The British Pharmacological Society.

Chemical References

• Cytokines
• Midkine

Topics

• Animals
• Bone Remodeling (physiology)
• Bone and Bones (metabolism)
• Cytokines (antagonists & inhibitors, chemistry, physiology)
• Drug Discovery
• Humans
• Inflammation (immunology)
• Kidney Diseases (metabolism)
• Midkine
• Nervous System Diseases (drug therapy, metabolism)