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US 5,631,271 AGranted
Methods and preparations for the treatment and prophylaxis of metabolic disturbances
OwnerWillem J. Serfonteininventor
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OwnerWillem J. Serfonteininventor
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Treatment or prophylaxis of depressed or inadequate intracellular pyridoxal phosphate levels in a human or animal patient resulting from a condition, wherein the pyridoxine (PN)--pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) pathway is disturbed by cellular defects and concomitant enzyme deficiencies. These may be due to genetic causes or cell immaturity, as occurs in infants and in diseases resulting in erythrocytes destruction. In infants it was found, for the first time, that this leads to elevated homocysteine levels. The deficiencies are counteracted by the administration of pyridoxal or a precursor of pyridoxal which in vivo, once it has entered the bloodstream, is rapidly convened into pyridoxal without the intervention of oxidase or oxygen, optionally and preferably without the intervention of kinase and/or of PN in slow-release form and at a daily dosage rate not exceeding 0.7 mg/kg/day in the long term. In the case of pharmaceutical or dietary preparations for infants, in particular premature infants, these contain in addition vitamin B12 and folic acid or folate.
The method of raising the intracellular level, other than in a healthy liver, of pyridoxal (PLP) and the plasma level of pyridoxal (PL) in a human or animal patient having insufficient ability to convert pyridoxine (PN) into intracellular PLP leading to depressed or inadequate intracellular PLP contents, said insufficient activity arising from a condition ranging from depressed to absent enzymatic activity, caused by an inherent cellular defect, otherwise than primary acquired sideroplastic anaemia, which comprises administering to the patient an active agent selected from the group consisting of pyridoxal (PL, pyridoxamine, actals of pyridoxal, condensation products arising from the reaction of the aldehyde group of pyridoxal with an amine and addition salts of any of the foregoing members of the group with pharmaceutically acceptable acids in an amount and at a rate effective to supply from 0.008 to 7.2 mg/kg/day of said source, calculated as pyridoxal and based on body weight.
The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the ratio of PN:PL is in the range 4:1 to 1:6.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.