EP0707446A1 — Pharmaceutical compositions and use thereof for treatment of neurological diseases and etiologically related symptomology

USPTO Abstract

Pharmaceutical compositions for treatment of several neurological diseases and pathophysiologically related symptomology in other body tissues, including peripheral neuropathies, secondary symptomology of diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, alcoholic polyneuropathy and age-onset symptomology, as well as analogous veterinary disease states, are dislcosed. Spurious pathological chemical crosslinking of normal intracellular structures is a fundamental aspect of these neurological diseases. Covalent bond crosslinking of protein and lipid subcellular elements appear to underlie the formation of polymerized aggregates of neurofilaments and other structural proteins, and lipo-fuscin. Pharmacological intervention in some neurological diseases using water soluble, small molecular weight primary amine agents and derivatives thereof, as oral therapeutic agents, may compete with cellular protein and lipid amine groups for reaction with disease-induced carbonyl-containing aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. Primary pharmacological agents include 4-aminobenzoic acid and derivatives thereof to facilitate kidney recognition and removal. This invention also includes: (1) oral use of non-absorbable polyamine polymers and amine-related co-agents such as chitosan to covalently bind and sequester potentially toxic carbonyl compounds present in the diet, (2) oral use of known antioxidant co-agents and related nutritional factors and (3) use of the primary agent and co-agents in combination with known medicaments for treatment of these neurological diseases.