Dipeptide alkyl esters and their uses

Abstract

An alkyl ester of dipeptide comprising natural or synthetic L-amino acids with hydrophobic side chains is provided herein. Preferable amino acids are leucine, phenylalanine valine, isoleucine, alanine, proline, glycine or aspartic acid beta methyl ester. Preferable dipeptides are L-leucyl L-leucine, L-leucyl L-phenylalanine, L-valyl L-phenylalanine, L-leucyl L-isoleucine, L-phenylalanyl L-phenylalanine, L-valyl L-leucine, L-leucyl L-alanine, L-valyl L-valine, L-phenylalanyl L leucine, L prolyl L-leucine, L-leucyl L-valine, L-phenylalanyl L-valine, L glycyl L-leucine, L-leucyl L-glycine or L-aspartyl beta methyl ester L-phenylalanine. Most preferable dipeptides are L-leucyl L-leucine, L-leucyl L-phenylalanine, L-valyl L-phenylalanine, L-phenylalanyl L-leucine, L-leucyl L-isoleucine L-phenylalanyl L-phenylalanine and L-valyl L-leucine. The alkyl ester of the dipeptide is most preferably a methyl ester and may also be an ethyl ester or alkyl of up to about four carbon atoms such as propyl, isopropyl, butyl or isobutyl. These alkyl esters of dipeptides comprising amino acids with hydrophobic side chains may be used to deplete cytotoxic T-lymphocytes or natural killer cells from organisms, cell populations or tissues. The O-alkyl esters of the described alkyl dipeptide esters inhibit lethal graft-vs-host disease and allograft rejection, particularly skin allograft rejection by a transplant recipient. The dipeptide most preferably employed is the O-alkyl dipeptide ester, or Leu-Leu-OMe.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.