Therapeutic uses of melanin
US5817631A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 6, 1995 |
| Grant date | Oct 6, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 6, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61K38/00
- WIPO fieldPharmaceuticals
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
The invention is directed to the treatment of degenerative diseases of tissues which have lost melanin and which share a common embryological basis as tissues of the nervous system by the administration of an active substance which causes an increased concentration of melanin in the tissue. Such active substances include melanin, melanin variants, melanin analogs, melanin derivatives, tyrosinase, tyrosinase gene, melanin-concentrating hormone and combinations thereof. Examples of such diseases include Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, retinitis pigmentosa, schizophrenia and dementia. The invention is also useful in assisting in the repair of neurons in a mammal having neuron damage by administering an effective amount of an active substance which causes an increased concentration of melanin in the neuron to aid in nerve repair. The invention is further useful in protecting a mammal from a toxin-induced disease or from the adverse effects of a toxin by administering an effective amount of the active substance described above.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.