Methods for treating pain

摘要

The invention provides agents useful for treating pain. An exemplary agent comprises or consists of the a portion of a retroviral Tat protein. One such agent is the peptide Tat-NR2B9c. This peptide has previously been described as an agent for inhibiting damaging effects of stroke and similar conditions via inhibition of PSD95 interactions with NMDA receptors and/or NOS. The present application provides data showing that the Tat-NR2B9c peptides is effective in alleviation of pain. The alleviation of pain can be obtained at a dose of the peptide below the dose required to inhibit PSD-95 interactions with NMDAR or NOS.

主权项

1. A method of treating pain, comprising administering a peptide having an amino acid sequence of natural amino acids comprising YGRKKRRQRRRKLSSIESDV (SEQ ID NO:1) or a variant having fewer than four deletions, substitutions or insertions of the sequence to a patient experiencing pain in a regime effective to treat the pain, wherein the pain is not non-cardiac associated chest pain.