Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Methotrexate therapy for primary biliary cirrhosis.

Nancy Bach1, Carol Bodian, Henry Bodenheimer

  • 1Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029, USA.

The American Journal of Gastroenterology
|January 16, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Methotrexate is not well tolerated in primary biliary cirrhosis and does not improve outcomes. Ursodeoxycholic acid, however, demonstrated benefits in reducing the risk of death or liver transplantation.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Betaine in the treatment of steatotic liver disease-Historical fad or a timeless treasure worth reviving?

Hepatology (Baltimore, Md.)·2025
Same author

Mesenchymal Tumors of the Liver: An Update Review.

Biomedicines·2025
Same author

Shared Features of Obliterative Portal Venopathy, Normal Liver, and Chronic Liver Disease: A Histologic and Morphometric Analysis.

Modern pathology : an official journal of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, Inc·2025
Same author

Oncogenic role of PMEPA1 and its association with immune exhaustion and TGF-β activation in HCC.

JHEP reports : innovation in hepatology·2024
Same author

Pathology and diagnostic approaches to well-differentiated hepatocellular lesions: a narrative review.

Journal of Yeungnam medical science·2024
Same author

Mechanisms of Sorafenib Resistance in HCC Culture Relate to the Impaired Membrane Expression of Organic Cation Transporter 1 (OCT1).

Journal of hepatocellular carcinoma·2024

Area of Science:

  • Hepatology
  • Clinical Pharmacology

Background:

  • Preliminary data suggested potential benefits of methotrexate for primary biliary cirrhosis.
  • Assessing methotrexate's effectiveness and tolerance in primary biliary cirrhosis patients is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy and safety of methotrexate in treating primary biliary cirrhosis.
  • To compare the survival rates of patients treated with methotrexate versus those in a historical ursodeoxycholic acid trial.

Main Methods:

  • 110 primary biliary cirrhosis patients received methotrexate 15 mg/wk, with ursodeoxycholic acid added for most.
  • Analysis focused on patients completing 5 years of methotrexate therapy, assessing biochemical and histologic changes.
  • Intent-to-treat survival analysis compared the study group with a historical placebo-controlled ursodeoxycholic acid trial.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Only 50% of patients completed 5 years of methotrexate therapy due to poor tolerance.
  • Methotrexate did not prevent disease progression (rising Mayo risk score) or improve portal fibrosis.
  • Methotrexate did not reduce the risk of death or liver transplantation; ursodeoxycholic acid significantly decreased this risk (p=0.006).

Conclusions:

  • Methotrexate is poorly tolerated and ineffective in primary biliary cirrhosis.
  • Methotrexate's toxicity and inability to prevent disease progression or improve survival limit its clinical utility.
  • The established benefits of ursodeoxycholic acid in primary biliary cirrhosis were reaffirmed.