GUANOSINE-5'-TRIPHOSPHATE INCREASES IN RED BLOOD CELLS OF HEART TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS TREATED WITH MYCOPHENOLATE MOFETIL

The present study clearly shows that long-term administration of MMF is associated with increasing whole blood GTP levels obviously due to an induction of IMPDH and HGPRT activities in erythrocytes. First hints for an induction of IMPDH under MMF therapy were recently published for a very few kidney transplanted patients3,4. Moreover, Montero et al.5 reported from a 30-fold elevation of normal pretreatment IMPDH activity following an antiviral therapy with ribavirin, another IMPDH inhibitor.