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| Trade names | Halocur |
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| Chemical and physical data | |
| Formula | C16H17BrClN3O3 |
| Molar mass | 414.68 g·mol−1 |
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Halofuginone, sold under the brand name Halocur, is a coccidiostat used in veterinary medicine. It is a synthetic halogenated derivative of febrifugine, a natural quinazolinone alkaloid which can be found in the Chinese herb Dichroa febrifuga (Chang Shan). [3] Collgard Biopharmaceuticals is developing halofuginone for the treatment of scleroderma and it has received orphan drug designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. [4]
Halofuginone inhibits the development of T helper 17 cells, immune cells that play an important role in autoimmune disease, but it does not affect other kinds of T cells which are involved in normal immune function. [5] Halofuginone therefore has potential for the treatment of autoimmune disorders. [5]
Halofuginone is also an inhibitor of collagen type I gene expression and as a consequence it may inhibit tumor cell growth. [3] Halofuginone exerts its effects by acting as a high affinity inhibitor of the enzyme glutamyl-prolyl tRNA synthetase. Inhibition of prolyl tRNA charging leads to the accumulation of uncharged prolyl tRNAs, which serve as a signal to initiate the amino acid starvation response, which in turn exerts anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects. [6]
