Method of treating pulmonary disease states with non-naturally occuring amphipathic peptides

摘要

A method of treating pulmonary disease states, e.g., a disease state selected from the group consisting of: cystic fibrosis, neoplasias, bronchogenic cancers, pneumonia, bronchitis, bronchopulmonary viral infections, and bronchopulmonary microbial infections, comprising delivery of an amphipathic non-naturally occurring peptide to an appropriate corporeal site, e.g., pulmonary and/or gastrointestinal loci, to effectively treat such diseases. In a further specific aspect, the invention contemplates a method of treating cystic fibrosis by delivery of lytic, amphipathic non-naturally occurring peptides to pulmonary loci, thereby effecting treatment of bronchopulmonary microbial infections associated with cystic fibrosis through lysis of pathogenic bacteria. Peptides delivered to a gastrointestinal locus preferably are non-lytic, so as not to affect normal gastrointestinal flora, and preferably are chemically modified to confer enhanced proteolytic resistance for an oral method of delivery. Peptides delivered to a pulmonary locus advantageously exhibit lytic activity and do not require chemical modification for proteolytic resistance. The delivery of the peptide to a pulmonary locus may for example be effected by use of a nebulizer device.