atrasentan
Meaning of atrasentan: Atrasentan is an endothelin receptor antagonist now approved to reduce protein loss in the urine caused by a form of kidney disease.
Definition of atrasentan
Atrasentan is a medication belonging to the endothelin receptor antagonist class, which blocks the action of endothelin, a substance that can constrict blood vessels and contribute to scarring within the kidney. Atrasentan selectively blocks the endothelin A receptor, one of two receptor types through which endothelin acts.
Atrasentan was originally investigated as a possible treatment for prostate cancer, though that use was not established. Endothelin's role in kidney disease led to further study of atrasentan in IgA nephropathy, a condition in which an abnormal antibody deposits within the kidney's filtering units and can lead to progressive kidney damage, and atrasentan is now approved to reduce the amount of protein lost in the urine in this condition.
Atrasentan is taken by mouth and is generally used alongside other medications that protect kidney function, rather than in place of them.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
Atrasentan was added to the patient's regimen to help reduce persistent protein loss in the urine from IgA nephropathy.
Good to know
Atrasentan's history illustrates how a drug can move between very different disease areas, since it was first studied in prostate cancer before finding an established role in a kidney condition.