Drug – bio-affecting and body treating compositions – Designated organic active ingredient containing – Radical -xh acid – or anhydride – acid halide or salt thereof...
Patent
1994-03-14
1997-02-18
Spivack, Phyllis G.
Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions
Designated organic active ingredient containing
Radical -xh acid, or anhydride, acid halide or salt thereof...
A61K 3120
Patent
active
056042582
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This application is a 371 of PCT/AU92/00313 filed Jun. 24, 1992 and published a WO93/00084 Jan. 7, 1993.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
Over half of the world's population, in some 100 countries, is at risk from malaria, with about 500 million acute infections and approximately 1 million deaths recorded each year (1, 2). As a whole, the situation with respect to this disease has shown little improvement in the last 15 years. Vaccine development is proving lengthy and complex and, at the present time, there is no completely satisfactory vaccine on the market. The use of antimalarial drugs still causes major problems due to widespread drug resistance and the toxicity related effects of present chemotherapy.
We have now identified a group of compounds which can induce killing of malaria and other parasites, bacteria, viruses, fungi and tumors. These compounds are non-toxic, and it is unlikely that disease organisms will be able to develop resistance to them.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, there is provided a pharmaceutical or veterinary composition, for the prevention or treatment of malaria and other diseases (as described below), comprising a polyunsaturated fatty acid, a derivative thereof or oxidation product in a pharmaceutically or veterinarily acceptable vehicle.
According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a dietary supplement, for the prevention or treatment of malaria and other diseases (as described below), comprising a polyunsaturated fatty acid, a derivative thereof or oxidation product in an edible vehicle.
According to a yet further aspect of this invention, there is provided a method of prevention or treatment of malaria or other diseases (as described below), comprising the administration of a polyunsaturated fatty acid, a derivative thereof or oxidation product, either by itself or in the form of a dietary supplement or a pharmaceutical or veterinary composition (as described above).
The term "polyunsaturated fatty acid", as used throughout the specification and claims, is defined as being a fatty acid comprising two or more double and/or triple bonds. That is, the fatty acid may comprise double bonds only, triple bonds only or a combination of double and triple bonds. Preferably, the fatty acid comprises two or more double bonds, in particular, 2 to 6 double bonds.
NON-SPECIFIC IMMUNITY
The term "non-specific immunity" is defined as the ability of the host defence system to utilize components of the body which do not require specific recognition factors such as antibodies and cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Previously identified mediators of non-specific immunity constitute a range of different kinds of factors, including oxygen-derived reactive species, aminoaldehydes, cytokines and various other factors (at present, incompletely characterized) in the serum of hosts showing non-specific resistance to disease. These non-specific defence mechanisms play a valuable role in defence against infection and malignant diseases. Non-specific immunity acts as a defence against infection by such agents as bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses, and also as a defence against tumors.
In vivo correlates of non-specific immunity, resulting from the injection of stimulators of non-specific immunity, are: (a) activated macrophages which non-specifically kill bacteria, fungi, parasites, virus-infected cells and tumor cells and (b) the appearance of tumor necrosis serum (TNS) in hosts. TNS has been shown to induce death of parasites and tumor cells.
Despite an extensive interest in mediators of non-specific immunity over the last 30 years, there have been few breakthroughs regarding further candidates which could be potential mediators of non-specific immunity.
We have now surprisingly discovered that polyunsaturated fatty acids, derivatives thereof and oxidation products are mediators of non-specific immunity.
COMPOUNDS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The compounds used in the present invention are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), derivatives thereof and oxida
REFERENCES:
patent: 4997851 (1991-03-01), Isaacs et al.
Paul T. Fawcett et al. "Effects of an eicosapentaenoic acid . . . " Arthritis Rheum. vol. 32 No. 4SUP, 1989, p. S38.
P. T. Fawcett et al. "Virulent murine malaria: enhanced survival . . . " Clinical Research, vol. 32 No. 5, 1984, p. 847A.
O. A. Levander et al. "Comparative antimalarial effects of N-3 . . . " FASEB J., vol. 5 No. 5, 1991, p. A1080.
Ferrante Antonio
Kumaratilake Lakshmi M.
Poulos Alfred
Robinson Brenton S.
Spivack Phyllis G.
Women's and Children's Hospital Adelaide
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