Details for Patent: 5,260,273
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Title: | Pulmonary surfactant protein and related polypeptide |
Abstract: | A synthetic pulmonary surfactant comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable phospholipid admixed with a polypeptide comprising at least 10 amino acid residues and no more than about 60 amino acid residues, said polypeptide including a sequence having alternating hydrophobic and hydrophilic amino acid residue regions represented by the formula (Z.sub.a U.sub.b).sub.c Z.sub.d, wherein: Z is a hydrophilic amino acid residue independently selected from the group consisting of R and K; U is a hydrophobic amino acid residue independently selected from the group consisting of V, I, L, C, Y and F; a has an average value of about 1 to about 5; b has an average value of about 3 to about 20; c is 1 to 10; and d is 1 to 3; said polypeptide, when admixed with a pharmaceutically acceptable phospholipid, forming a synthetic pulmonary surfactant having a surfactant activity greater than the surfactant activity of the phospholipid alone. |
Inventor(s): | Cochrane; Charles G. (La Jolla, CA), Revak; Susan D. (San Diego, CA) |
Assignee: | The Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla, CA) |
Filing Date: | Jun 14, 1991 |
Application Number: | 07/715,397 |
Claims: | 1. A synthetic pulmonary surfactant comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable phospholipid admixed with a linear polypeptide comprising at least 10 amino acid residues and no more than about 60 amino acid residues, said polypeptide including a sequence having alternating hydrophobic and hydrophilic amino acid residue regions represented by the formula (Z.sub.a U.sub.b).sub.c Z.sub.d, wherein: Z is a hydrophilic amino acid residue independently selected from the group consisting of R and K; U is a hydrophobic amino acid residue independently selected from the group consisting of V, I, L, C and F; a has an average value of about 1 to about 5; b has an average value of about 3 to about 20; c is 1 to 10; and d is 1 to 3; said polypeptide, when admixed with a pharmaceutically acceptable phospholipid, forming a synthetic pulmonary surfactant having a surfactant activity greater than the surfactant activity of the phospholipid alone. 2. A method of treating respiratory distress syndrome comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a synthetic pulmonary surfactant, said surfactant comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable phospholipid admixed with an effective amount of a polypeptide comprising at least 10 amino acid residues and no more than about 60 amino acid residues, said polypeptide including a sequence having alternating hydrophobic and hydrophilic amino acid residue regions represented by the formula (Z.sub.a U.sub.b).sub.c Z.sub.d, wherein: Z is a hydrophilic amino acid residue independently selected from the group consisting of R and K; U is a hydrophobic amino acid residue independently selected from the group consisting of V, I, L, C and F; a has an average value of about 1 to about 5; b has an average value of about 3 to about 20; c is 1 to 10; and d is 1 to 3; said polypeptide, when admixed with a pharmaceutically acceptable phospholipid, forming a synthetic pulmonary surfactant having a surfactant activity greater than the surfactant activity of the phospholipid alone. |