Method for inactivating gonadotrophs
AssigneeColorado State University Research Foundation
InventorsTorrance M. Nett, Leonard M. Glode
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Abstract
Certain toxic compounds (T) such as, for example, compounds based upon diphtheria toxin, ricin toxin, pseudomonas exotoxin, .alpha.-amanitin, pokeweed antiviral protein (PAP), ribosome inhibiting proteins, especially the ribosome inhibiting proteins of barley, wheat, corn, rye, gelonin and abrin, as well as certain cytotoxic chemicals such as, for example, melphalan and daunomycin can be conjugated to certain analogs of gonadotropin-releasing hormone to form a class of compounds which, when injected into an animal, destroy the gonadotrophs of the animal's anterior pituitary gland. Hence such compounds may be used to sterilize such animals and/or to treat certain sex hormone related diseases.
Claims27
A method for functionally inactivating gonadotrophs in the pituitary gland of an animal, comprising administering to said animal an effective amount of a hormone/toxin conjugate comprising a peptide hormone conjugated to a toxin group, wherein said conjugate is capable of selectively binding with receptors on said gonadotrophs to render said gonadotrophs essentially incapable of secreting gonadotropins, wherein said animal is not weakened or killed by said method.
A method for chemically attacking cells whose membranes contain receptors for GnRH, comprising administering to an animal an effective amount of a hormone/toxin conjugate comprising a peptide hormone that is capable of binding to a GnRH receptor, said peptide hormone conjugated to a toxin group, wherein said conjugate is capable of selectively binding to said GnRH receptors on said cells.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.