Prophylactic and/or therapeutic agents for peripheral neuropathy

Abstract

When a pharmaceutical composition for preventing and / or treating peripheral neuropathy caused by chromosomal microtubule inhibition, which comprises erythropoietin as an active ingredient, is administered to patients receiving a microtubule inhibitor as an anticancer agent, such treatment alleviates peripheral neuropathy in the patients and enables increased dosage, prolonged period and increasedfrequency for administration of the above anticancer agent, which were never before achieved. Thus, the pharmaceutical composition not only contributes to improvement of QOL in the patients, but alsoenables prolongation of life in the patients.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to novel pharmaceutical compositions containing erythropoietin as an active ingredient for preventing and / or treating peripheral neuropathy caused by microtubule inhibition (microtubule inhibition). Background technique [0002] Although cisplatin (Cisplatin) and its derivatives, and taxan (Taxan) anticancer agents have good therapeutic effects and are widely used clinically, they cause serious side effects at the same time - anemia and peripheral neuropathy (neuropathy). It is well known that peripheral neuropathy manifests pain symptoms, is axonal degeneration of nerves, and is a disease of myelin sheath damage. In addition to peripheral neuropathy caused by administration of anticancer agents, peripheral neuropathy can also be caused by HIV infection or diabetes complications occur. [0003] On the other hand, erythropoietin (EPO), which is considered to be a cytokine of the hematopoietic system, has gradually become c...

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Problems solved by technology

[0008] However, the peripheral neuropathy caused by cisplatin is caused by the generation of free radicals, and whether EPO has a preventive or therapeutic effect on peripheral neuropathy caused by a mechanism different from the above is not completely clear.

In particular, there is no report on whether EPO has an effect on peripheral neuropathy caused by administration of a microtubule inhibitor that kills cancer cells by inhibiting the action of microtubules on chromosomes mainly involved in cell division as an anticancer agent.

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