Therapeutic uses of tri-, tetra-, penta-, and polypeptides

Abstract

Novel uses of certain peptides to treat patients suffering from neurological or psychiatric disorders are disclosed. The peptides include the tripeptide hormone MIF and compounds made by modifications of MIF, such as modification of amino terminus residues, carboxyl terminus residues and internal residues, including addition and substitution of amino acid residues and modification of the peptide bonds and functional side groups of respective amino acid residues. The tri-, tetra-, penta-, peptides and polypeptides may be utilized alone or in combination with other agents, to treat patients suffering from physiological, psychosomatic, neurological or psychiatric disorders.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 122,246, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 625,103 filed Jul. 25, 2000, abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08 / 962,962 filed Nov. 4, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,797, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08 / 432,651 filed on May 2, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,767,083, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08 / 238,089 filed on May 4, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,460. The disclosures of each of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,093,797; 5,767,083; and 5,589,460 are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention is related to methods for treating patients suffering from physiological, psychosomatic, neurological or psychiatric disorders. The methods include the administration of certain pept...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]It has been found that peptides described herein are potentially useful in treating a variety of physiological, psychosomatic, neurological and psychological disorders, including bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorder, eating disorders such as bulimia, anorexia nervosa and exogenous obesity, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, sexual dysfunction, anxiety disorders, attention deficit disorder, Parkinson's disease, depression accompanying schizophrenia, jet lag syndrome and addiction disorders including alcohol dependence. It has further been found that the methods and compositions disclosed herein are effective in treating depression in patients that are deemed unresponsive to conventional anti-depressant medications. Such patients may be referred to as “refractory” patients.

Problems solved by technology

Endogenous depression is thought to be a genetically determined biochemical disorder which can result in an inability to deal with stress.

However, these drugs have limited efficacy in that 40 to 60% of patients receiving tricyclic drugs do not respond favorably.

MAO inhibitors have not gained wide acceptance due to serious side effects.

They are safer and better tolerated than the TCAs and MAOIs, but are probably not as effective in more serious depression and have troublesome side effects such as sexual dysfunction in about 40% of patients.

In addition, about thirty percent of patients do not have a favorable response with the SSRIs.