| abstract |
Potent and specific inhibitor compounds for elastase - type enzymes, especially for human leucocytic elastase (HLE), are provided by combining an amino acid or short peptide with a hydrocarbon-oxycarbonyl protecting group having at least 4 carbon atoms at the N-terminal of the amino acid or peptide, and a hydrophobic hydrocarbon chain of 8 to 16 carbon atoms at the carbonyl group of the amino acid or peptide, the protecting group and the hydrophobic group being physiologically innocuous components, but providing the required inhibition. The inhibitor compounds can be expected to be useful in the treatment of elastase - type implicated diseases such as arthritis, tumor growth and emphysema. |