Saturday July 04 2009 | Biotechnology feed | All feeds
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Saturday July 04 2009 | Biotechnology feed | All feeds
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A novel peptide derivative exhibits anti inflammatory and antioxidant activity in adjuvant induced arthritis in rats. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic syndrome characterized by nonspecific, usually symmetric inflammation of the peripheral joints, potentially resulting in progressive destruction of articular and periarticular structures, with or without generalized manifestations. This disease is one of the more difficult of the autoimmune rheumatic diseases to control and can do the most damage to the joints. The condition differs from osteoarthritis not only through the obligatory involvement of the immune system, but also because disease onset occurs early on in life, generally between the ages of 20 and 50, although it can begin at any age. The severity of rheumatoid arthritis varies from person to person. In some cases, the disease may be mild, while in others it can be crippling. About 1% of all populations are affected with rheumatoid arthritis, women two to three times more often than men. This translates to a total of 5 million patients in the major pharmaceutical markets. This market drove sales revenues worth $1.6 billion in 2000. However, earlier diagnosis and changes in medical practice, including a more aggressive approach to rheumatoid arthritis from the onset, a trend toward the use of TNF inhibitors, and the introduction of new COX-2 inhibitors and novel biologics will all drive the market value up. In this respect, a recent report describing the therapeutic activity of a tetrapeptide derivative of human lactoferrin, PEP1261, is particularly interesting. This candidate therapy, at an effective dose of 10 mg/kg, exhibited a significant anti-arthritic activity in an adjuvant model of rheumatoid arthritis as evidenced by lowering of paw volume and free radical toxicity. Further investigations of this peptide may be warranted and molecular modeling approaches or chemical optimization of this molecule could lead to a clinically relevant molecule Link to journal abstract:
Adapted from Kumar et al, Mol Cell Biochem 2002 Jan;229(1-2):9-17 Interested in collaborating with this group? Contact leaddiscovery@bioportfolio.co.uk LeadDiscovery and BioPortfolio aims to provide reliable, insightful analysis on the biotechnology industry. However, this information is provided "as is" and no representations or warranties either express or implied of completeness, accuracy, or of any other nature are made with respect to this information. This information is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation to buy the securities of any company. This information contains forward-looking statements, which involve risks and uncertainties which may not be listed. The biotechnology industry is an emerging industry and the securities of the companies mentioned in this report have a very high degree of risk and volatility. For this reason, this information is supplied on the condition that the reader will make his or her own determination as to its suitability for any purpose prior to any use of this information. The employees and officers of LeadDiscovery and BioPortfolio may hold positions in some or all of the stocks discussed in this report. This abstract has been produced by LeadDiscovery Ltd. Founded by life scientists for life scientists we aim to help industry identify cutting edge drug discovery options and academic/biotech institutions maximize the potential of their research. Abstracts strictly reflect the opinion of LeadDiscovery's editorial panel. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of information provided LeadDiscovery and the publisher BioPortfolio, takes no responsibility for incorrect or misleading information. LeadDiscovery is designed for educational and drug development purposes only and is not intended or designed to offer medical advice or advice of any sort, and must not be used for such purpose. The information provided through LeadDiscovery and BioPortfolio should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease and no reliance should be placed on any information contained in this abstract or elsewhere on LeadDiscovery's and BioPortfolio's website. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, you should consult your physician or other health care provider. |
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