TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF ORAL MUCOSITIS WITH GROWTH FACTORS

摘要

This invention establishes that growth factors have the potential to rapidly accelerate the healing of chemotheraphy and radiotherapy induced oral mucositis in mammals, particularly in the oral cavity. As used herein, the term ''growth factor'' means a biologically active polypeptide which causes cell proliferation, and includes both growth factors and their analogs. These include epidermal growth factor, transforming growth factors, nerve growth factor, acidic and basic fibroblast growth factor and angiogenesis factor, platelet-derived growth factor, insulin and insulin-like growth factors including somatomedins, myxoma and vaccinia virus-derived growth factors. More specifically this invention uses growth factors which bind to epidermal growth factor receptors, said growth factors containing six essential cysteine residues with their spacing being in the pattern of -Cys-(AA)a -Cys-(AA)b -Cys-(AA)c -Cys-AA-Cys-(AA)d -Cys- wherein AA is an amino acid residue, a is 7, b is 4 or 5, c is 10 and d is 8. Even more specifically, this invention pertains to the use of transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) for the prevention and treatment of oral mucositis.