Method of using retro inverso peptides derived from leukemia inhibitory factor

摘要

The invention provides methods of treatment using retro-inverso peptides derived from leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) having between 18 and about 40 amino acids and including the sequence that is retro-inverso with respect to SEQ ID NO: 1. The peptides of the invention have the same activity as native LIF and also have neurotrophic activity. The peptides of the invention are also less susceptible to proteolytic degradation in vivo because of their D-amino acid linkage.