Treatment of pancreatitis using alpha 7 receptor-binding cholinergic agonists

Abstract

A method of treating a patient suffering from pancreatitis comprising treating said patient with a therapeutically effective amount of a cholinergic agonist selective for an α7 nicotinic receptor in an amount sufficient to decrease the amount of the proinflammatory cytokine that is released from a macrophage wherein said condition is acute pancreatitis. The compounds of the present invention include a quaternary analog of cocaine; (1-aza-bicyclo[2.2.2]oct-3-yl)-carbamic acid 1-(2-fluorophenyl)-ethyl ester; a compound of formula (I), a compound of formula (II), a compound of formula (III), a compound of formula (IV), and an oligonucleotide or mimetic capable of attenuating the symptoms of acute pancreatitis wherein the oligonucleotide or mimetic consists essentially of a sequence greater than 5 nucleotides long that is complementary to an mRNA of an α7 cholinergic receptor. The variables of formulae (I), (II), (III) and (IV) are described herein

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.