Anti-inflammatory, tolerogenic and immunoinhibiting properties of carbohydrate binding-peptides

摘要

The present invention is directed to methods of suppressing inflammatory responses, inducing tolerance to an antigen, and suppressing cell adhesion, e.g., involved in metastasis, by the administration of lectin derived carbohydrate binding peptides or derivatives thereof, in particular, peptides capable of binding terminally linked alpha -sialic acid(2->6) beta Gal- and/or alpha -sialic acid(2->3) beta Gal- groups on structures or molecules comprising such groups. Pharmaceutical compositions containing such lectin derived carbohydrate binding peptides or derivatives thereof are also disclosed.