Halcinonide

Abstract: • A patient with psoriasis is described who had an abnormal response to the glucose tolerance test without other evidence of diabetes and then developed postprandial hyperglycemia and glycosuria during a period of topical administration of a corticosteroid cream, halcinonide cream 0.1%, under occlusion. A second patient with a similar glucose tolerance test result showed postprandial hyperglycemia when treated similarly with betamethasone valerate cream 0.1%. Two additional patients with mildly abnormal responses to glucose tolerance tests showed no evidence of altered glucose metabolism when treated with halcinonide cream in a similar manner. ( Arch Dermatol 112:1559-1562, 1976)

Abstract: A patient was allergic to the corticosteroids halcinonide, fluocinonide, desonide, and triamcinolone acetonide. She also was allergic to ethylendiamine hydrochloride, neomycin, thimerosal, formaldehyde solution, and nystatin.

Abstract: One of the causes of permanent disability in chronic multiple sclerosis patients is the inability of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) to terminate their maturation program at lesions. To identify key regulators of myelin gene expression acting at the last stages of OPC maturation we developed a drug repositioning strategy based on the mouse immortalized oligodendrocyte (OL) cell line Oli-neu brought to the premyelination stage by stably expressing a key factor regulating the last stages of OL maturation. The Prestwick Chemical Library® of 1,200 FDA-approved compound(s) was repositioned at three dosages based on the induction of Myelin Basic Protein (MBP) expression. Drug hits were further validated using dosage-dependent reproducibility tests and biochemical assays. The glucocorticoid class of compounds was the most highly represented and we found that they can be divided in three groups according to their efficacy on MBP up-regulation. Since target identification is crucial before bringing compounds to the clinic, we searched for common targets of the primary screen hits based on their known chemical-target interactomes, and the pathways predicted by top ranking compounds were validated using specific inhibitors. Two of the top ranking compounds, Halcinonide and Clobetasol, act as Smoothened (Smo) agonists to up-regulate myelin gene expression in the Oli-neuM cell line. Further, RxRγ activation is required for MBP expression upon Halcinonide and Clobetasol treatment. These data indicate Clobetasol and Halcinonide as potential promyelinating drugs and also provide a mechanistic understanding of their mode of action in the pathway leading to myelination in OPCs. Furthermore, our classification of glucocorticoids with respect to MBP expression provides important novel insights into their effects in the CNS and a rational criteria for their choice in combinatorial therapies in de-myelinating diseases.

Abstract: The existence of a stratum corneum reservoir for topically applied substances is well known. Data concerning the stratum corneum retention time are important for the elaboration of optimal topical treatment. We used the re-occlusion technique followed by skin colour measurements (Chromametry) for the evaluation of the stratum corneum retention time of halcinonide. We found a significant reservoir for halcinonide up to 5 days after the initial application. The retention was found to be corticosteroid concentration and formulation dependent.