The invention relates to oligomeric peptides with
biological activity against HIV infection having the
amino acid sequence (Z1-LE-X1-IP—X2—X3—X4—P—X5—X6—X7—X8—X9—X10—K—X11—X12—X13—X14—X15-Z2)n, wherein n indicates the number of monomeric
peptide chains, whereby n is 2, 3 or 4; X1 is a
lysine,
alanine, or
aspartic acid; X2 is a
cysteine,
methionine or
isoleucine; X3 is a
serine,
cysteine,
lysine or
glycine; X4 is an
isoleucine,
alanine,
phenylalanine or
cysteine; X5 is a
proline, D-
proline or a substituted L- or D-
proline; X6 is a cysteine or
glutamic acid; X7 is an
amino acid with a hydrophobic or an aromatic
side chain or cysteine; X8 is an
amino acid with a hydrophobic or an aromatic
side chain or cysteine; X9 is an amino acid with an aromatic
side chain; X10 is a
glycine,
alanine or
asparagine; X11 is a proline,
aspartic acid, octahydroindolyl-2-
carboxylic acid or D-1,2,3,4-
tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-
carboxylic acid; X12 is a
phenylalanine, alanine,
glycine,
glutamic acid or D-1,2,3,4-
tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-
carboxylic acid; X13 is an amino acid with a hydrophobic or an aromatic side chain; X14 is an amino acid with a hydrophobic or an aromatic side chain; X15 is a
phenylalanine or deletion; Z1 is NH2 or a sequence of 1 to 10 amino acid residues; Z2 is COOH or a sequence of 1 to 10 amino acid residues; and oligomeric peptides which are fragments thereof and / or derivatives, especially amidated, alkylated, acylated, sulfated, pegylated, phosphorylated and / or glycosylated derivatives, and mutants thereof; and with the proviso that (a) if X12 is alanine, glycine,
glutamic acid, or D-1,2,3,4-
tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid than X13, X14 and X15 are phenylalanine,
valine and phenylalanine respectively; and / or (b) if X12 is phenylalanine, than X13, X14 and X15 are
valine, phenylalanine and a deletion, respectively; and (c) there are at maximum three cysteine residues in
a peptide; and (d) the oligomeric
peptide has not the sequence (LEAIPCSIPPEFLFGKPFVF)2 (VIR-576); and (e) the monomeric
peptide chains are not linked by peptide bonds between the N-terminus of one peptide chain to the C-terminus of another peptide chain.