| abstract |
The present invention relates to a linear or cyclic peptide and the use of said peptide in medicine and especially in the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of a disease associated with inflammatory mediated cartilage destruction such as, e.g. an inflammatory joint disease such as, e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, juvenile chronic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), infectious arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis, other diseases involving joint structures such as, e.g., osteoarthritis, meniscal damage, gout, diseases affecting structural elements of the musculoskeletal system such as, e.g., tendon damage, ligament damage and bone disease such as, e.g., osteoporosis, diseases affecting major arteries including atherosclerosis. The minimal core sequence of the linear or cyclic peptide according to the invention is [WKY]-[LR]-[ES]-[AKDE]-K, comprising peptides such as, e.g., WLEAK, LRRWLEAK, QLRGLRRWLEAK, QLRGLRRWLEAKAS, CQLRGLRRWLEAKASRPDATC, CQLRGLRRWLEAKC, CWLEAKC, KRSKK, CKRSKKC, KFPTKRSKKAGRH and CKFPTKRSKKAGRH. |