ALPHA CONOTOXIN PEPTIDES WITH ANALGESIC PROPERTIESALPHA CONOTOXIN PEPTIDES WITH ANALGESIC PROPERTIES

摘要

This invention relates to novel .alpha.-conotoxin-like peptides comprising the following sequence of amino acids: Xaa1CCSXaa2Xaa3Xaa4CXaa5Xaa6Xaa7Xaa8Xaa9Xaa10Xaa11C-NH2 in which Xaa1 is G or D; Xaa3 is proline, hydroxyproline or glutamine; each of Xaa2 to Xaa8 and Xaa11 is independently any amino acid; Xaa9 is proline, hydroxyproline or glutamine; Xaa10 is aspartate, glutamate or .gamma.-carboxyglutamate; Xaa11 is optionally absent; and the C-terminus is optionally amidated, with the proviso that the peptide is not .alpha.-conotoxin Ep1 or .alpha.-conotoxin Im1. The peptides are useful in the treatment or prevention of pain, in recovery from nerve injury, and in the treatment of painful neurological conditions such as stroke.