| abstract |
The inhibitors, which can be obtained from tissues or secretions of blood gels typically of the order Rhynchobdellida, have the following terminal sequence: NH2-Lys-Leu-Leu-Pro-Cys-Lys-Glu-Y-His-Gln-Gly-Ile-Pro-Asn Pro-Arg- where Y represents any amino acid sequence; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, derivative or bio-precursor of said sequence, or an analog or homologue thereof. Because of their extreme efficiency in the nanomolar range, they can be used to treat a variety of diseases where protein binding is important. They can be used for the treatment of Crohn's disease tumor implantation, atherosclerosis, thrombotic microangiopathy, fibrous growth of the skin, rivers, scarring, membranous glomerulonephritis, cataracts, or infection with microfilareal nematodes. In particular, they can be used to reduce the stability of the thrombus so that they are more susceptible to lysis by thrombolytic agents. |