University of Pittsburgh

The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research

The General Hospital Corporation

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Inc.

North Shore-long Island Jewish Research Institute

Xanthus Life Sciences, Inc.

Mitchell P Fink

Kevin J Tracey

Peter Wipf

Huan Yang

Valerian Kagan

Howland Shaw Warren

Jingbo Xiao

Yulia Tyurina

Anthony J Kanai

Russell L Delude

Timothy R Billiar

Alfred M Ajami

Allan Tsung

Xianonan Han

Luis Ulloa

Carrie A Sims

The invention provides a method of ameliorating inflammation in a patient involving administering to the patient a therapeutically effective dose of composition including polystyrene divinyl benzene copolymer and a polyvinyl pyrrolidone polymer. More particularly, the method relates to using these polymers as an enteral sorbent preparation to remove inflammatory mediators, such as cytokines, from the intestinal lumen. The polymers can be in the form of a preparation of polystyrene divinyl benzene copolymer beads with a biocompatible polyvinyl pyrrolidone polymer coating.

Enteral administration of sorbent polymer for treatment and prophylaxis of inflammation

The present invention provides a composition and related methods for delivering cargo to a mitochondria which includes (a) a membrane active peptidyl fragment having a high affinity with the mitochondria and (b) cargo. The cargo may be selected from a wide variety of desired cargos which are to be delivered to the mitochondria for a specific purpose. Compositions and methods are disclosed for treating an illness that is caused or associated with cellular damage or dysfunction which is caused by excessive mitochondrial production of reaction oxygen species (ROS). Compositions which act as mitochondria-selective targeting agents using the structural signaling of the &#x3b2;-turn recognizable by cells as mitochondria) targeting sequences are discussed. Mitochondria and cell death by way of apoptosis is inhibited as a result of the ROS-scavenging activity, thereby increasing the survival rate of the patient.

Selective targeting agents for mitochondria

The present invention provides a composition and related methods for delivering cargo to a mitochondria which includes (a) a membrane active peptidyl fragment having a high affinity with the mitochondria and (b) cargo. The cargo may be selected from a wide variety of desired cargoes which are to be delivered to the mitochondria for a specific purpose. Compositions and methods are disclosed for treating an illness that is caused or associated with cellular damage or dysfunction which is caused by excessive mitochondrial production of reaction oxygen species (ROS). Compositions which act as mitochondria-selective targeting agents using the structural signaling of the &#x3b2;-turn recognizable by cells as mitochondria) targeting sequences are discussed. Mitochondria and cell death by way of apoptosis is inhibited as a result of the ROS-scavenging activity, thereby increasing the survival rate of the patient.

The invention provides a method of ameliorating systemic inflammation in a patient involving administering to the patient a therapeutically effective dose of composition including polystyrene divinyl benzene copolymer and a polyvinyl pyrrolidone polymer. More particularly, the method relates to using these polymers as an enteral sorbent preparation to remove inflammatory mediators, such as cytokines, from the intestinal lumen. The polymers can be in the form of a preparation of polystyrene divinyl benzene copolymer beads with a biocompatible polyvinyl pyrrolidone polymer coating.

Administration of an adsorbent polymer for treatment of systemic inflammation

Compositions and methods are disclosed for inhibiting the release of a proinflammatory cytokine from a vertebrate cell, and for inhibiting an inflammatory cytokine cascade in a patient. The compositions comprise a vertebrate HMGB A box, and an antibody preparation that specifically binds to a vertebrate HMGB B box. The methods comprise treating a cell or a patient with sufficient amounts of the composition to inhibit the release of the proinflammatory cytokine, or to inhibit the inflammatory cytokine cascade.

Antibodies to high mobility group-1(HMGB1) B-box polypeptides

Provided herein are methods for using mitochondria-targeted electron scavengers as anti-inflammatory agents. The mitochondria-targeted electron scavenger comprises a free radical-scavenging group covalently linked to a mitochondria-targeting group derived from a hemigramicidin moiety. The mitochondria-targeted electron scavenger can be used to treat medical conditions associated with acute or chronic inflammation.

Use of mitochondria-targeted electron scavengers as anti-inflammatory agents

Use of HMGB fragments as anti-inflammatory agents

Methods and compositions are disclosed for protecting an organ or tissue from inflammation and organ injury following ischemia, reperfusion, and trauma through the administration of an HMGBprotein within a time period sufficient to protect the organ or tissue from injury.

Use of HMGB1 for protection against ischemia reperfusion injury

The present invention provides a composition and related methods for delivering cargo to a mitochondria which includes (a) a membrane active peptidyl fragment having a high affinity with the mitochondria and (b) cargo. The cargo may be selected from a wide variety of desired cargos which are to be delivered to the mitochondria for a specific purpose. Compositions and methods are disclosed for treating an illness that is caused or associated with cellular damage or dysfunction which is caused by excessive mitochondrial production of reaction oxygen species (ROS). Compositions which act as mitochondria-selective targeting agents using the structural signaling of the &#x3b2;-turn recognizable by cells as mitochondria) targeting sequences are discussed. Mitochondria and cell death by way of apoptosis is inhibited as a result of the ROS-scavenging activity, thereby increasing the survival rate of the patient. In a preferred embodiment, the compositions and methods may be administered therapeutically in the field to patients with profound hemorrhagic shock so that survival could be prolonged until it is feasible to obtain surgical control of the bleeding vessels. In further preferred embodiments, the composition for scavenging radicals in a mitochondria membrane includes a radical scavenging agent and a membrane active compound having a high affinity with said mitochondrial membrane and associated methods. In another embodiment, the cargo transported by mitochondrial-selective targeting agents may include an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) enzyme activity.

Compositions and methods are disclosed for treating an illness that is caused or associated with cellular damage or dysfunction which is caused by excessive mitochondrial production of reaction oxygen species (ROS). Compositions which act as mitochondria-selective targeting agents using specific structural signaling features recognizable by cells as mitochondrial targeting sequences are discussed. A method for delivering these agents effectively into cells and mitochondria where they act as electron scavengers by way of certain targeting sequences is also disclosed. Mitochondria dysfunction and cell death by way of apoptosis is inhibited as a result of the ROS-scavenging activity, thereby increasing the survival rate of the patient. In a preferred embodiment, the compositions and methods may be administered therapeutically in the field to patients with profound hemorrhagic shock so that survival could be prolonged until it is feasible to obtain surgical control of the bleeding vessels.

A method of prophylaxis or treatment of inflammatory conditions, including, but not limited to, intestinal epithelial inflammation due to intestine-specific conditions (e.g., Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis) or systemic causes of inflammation (e.g., endotoxemia, sepsis, hemorrhagic shock/resuscitation or pancreatitis) is disclosed. In the method of the invention, an affected patient is administered a therapeutically effective amount of a composition including an NAD-related compound, in a form that is accessible to a receptor molecule, conveyed in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier vehicle. NAD-related compounds include nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), cyclic adenosine diphosphate ribose (cADPR), or functionally equivalent analogues, derivatives, metabolites or agonists thereof or prodrugs therefor. Also disclosed are ex vivo and in vivo assay methods to test candidate compounds for activity, kits for carrying out the therapeutic methods or the assay methods of the invention and articles of manufacture that include compositions for use in the methods of the invention and instructions for the use thereof.

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This invention is directed to a method of using a therapeutic composition comprising a compound of an alpha-ketoalkanoic acid (pyruvate) and/or its derivatives for the treatment of cytokine-mediated inflammatory conditions. The compound is an alpha-ketoalkanoic acid, a physiologically acceptable salt of an alpha-ketoalkanoic acid, an ester of an alpha-ketoalkanoic acid, or an amide of an alpha-ketoalkanoic acid. A component for inducing and stabilizing the enol resonance form of the ester at physiological pH values is also disclosed. The cytokine-mediated inflammatory conditions are mediated by, for example, an 'early' (Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF), interleukin-1&#x3b2; (IL-1&#x3b2;)) or 'late' (high mobility group B-1 (HMGB-1)) mediator of inflammation. Exemplary cytokine-mediated inflammatory conditions include, but are not limited to, local and systemic inflammation, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis), rheumatoid arthritis, asthma (including status asthmaticus), sepsis or septic shock, also including inflammatory skin conditions, for example, psoriasis and eczema.

Method of using pyruvate and/or its derivatives for the treatment of cytokine-mediated inflammatory conditions

A therapeutic composition comprising an alkyl, aralkyl, alkoxyalkyl or carboxyalkyl ester of 2-ketoalkanoic acid and a component for inducing and stabilizing the enol resonance form of the ester at physiological pH values is disclosed. The composition of the invention further comprises a pharmceutically acceptable carier vehicle in which the enol resonance form of the ester is stabilized at physiological pH values. Formulations containing the compositions of the invention permit the successful use of 2-ketoalkanoic acid esters, e.g., pyruvic acid esters, to treat, e.g., ischemic events, shock, organ reanimation, resuscitation and other recognized pyruvate-effective treatments. The compositions of the inventions are also useful in a process for preserving organ parts, organs or limbs removed from a living mammal and in need of preservation, e.g., for later transplantation to an organ recipient.

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Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America

Mitchell P Fink