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The Anti-inflammatory and Anti-cancer Action of Cathelicidin in the Gastrointestinal Tract

Summary

There are number of diseases in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract which are bacterial associated disorders. These include inflammatory bowel disease and gastric ulcer, which are also closely associated with the occurrence of cancers in these organs. They are the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the world. Up-to-date there are no promising drugs which can provide effective treatment for these diseases as the pathogenesis of these disorders are multifactorial. A host defense peptide constitutively expressed in the GI mucosa has been identified and found to have anti-microbial action and is expressed in the inflammatory and cancerous tissues. From our experimental data, there is a strong indication that the peptide could modulate the progression of these disorders, including improvement of inflammatory responses and ulcer healing and suppression of cancer growth in the GI tract. These actions are shown to be mediated through defined signal transduction pathways which target on different pathogenic mechanisms for inflammation, ulcer and cancer in the stomach and colon. Unlike the current clinically useful drugs for inflammation and cancer, which have significant and sometime intolerable side effects incurred to patients, this peptide constitutively expressed in tissues should have less immunological reactions and low toxicity in humans. In the event to increase the expression of the peptide in the diseased tissues, a peptide-expressed plasmid was made and effectively prolonged the expression of the peptide in the diseased tissues. However in order to make this preparation pharmaceutical viable when given orally, we propose to construct the peptide encoded into a probiotic which is acceptable in humans and at the same time could increase the efficacy of the peptide in treating the above-mentioned disorders in the GI tract.

Supplementary Information

Inventor: CHO, CHI-HIN | CHEN, Yang-chao | WONG, CHING-MAN | WU, KA-KEI
Priority Number: CN102459571B
IPC Current: C12N000121 | C12N001512 | C12N001563 | C12R000101
Assignee Applicant: The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Title: Anti-inflammatory bacteria
Usefulness: Anti-inflammatory bacteria
Summary: For reducing inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract of a mammal having colitis, bowel inflammatory disease, Crohn's disease, colorectal or gastric cancer, or a condition selected from gastritis, gastric ulcers or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), where the mammal is a human; and in food product such as beverage or a semi-solid product, where the semi-solid product is yogurt (claimed).
Novelty: New lactic acid bacteria transformed to secrete biologically active cathelicidin, useful for reducing inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract of a mammal having colitis, bowel inflammatory disease and Crohns' disease

Industry

Disease Diagnostic/Treatment

Sub Category

Cancer/Tumor

Application No.

09/MED/316

Others

Inventor(s): Professor Chi Hin CHO, Department of Pharmacology

Country/Region

Hong Kong