Peptide-based compounds and compositions which inhibit muscle contraction

#The text file is Sequence_Listings.text, created Jan. 4, 2012, and of size 6 KB, filed herewith, is hereby incorporated by reference.

#This invention relates to peptides capable of inhibiting muscle contraction and to cosmetic or pharmaceutical compositions which contain these peptides useful in the treatment and/or care of the skin, preferably for the treatment and/or care of conditions, disorders and/or diseases which are a consequence of muscle contraction, particularly of acetylcholine receptor clustering.

#Muscle contraction is the physiological process in which muscles develop tension and are shortened or lengthened (or can also remain the same length) due to a prior excitation stimulus. These contractions produce the motive force of almost all superior animals to, for example, displace the contents of the cavity that they cover (smooth muscles) or move the organism through its environment or to move other objects (striated muscle).

#This invention provides a solution to the above-mentioned problem. Surprisingly the applicant of this invention has found that certain synthetic peptides present an important effectiveness in the inhibition of AChR clustering and therefore are useful for the treatment and/or care of those conditions, disorders and/or diseases which are a consequence of muscle contraction, particularly of acetylcholine receptor clustering, as well as the treatment and/or care of the skin.

#In order to facilitate the comprehension of this invention, the meanings of some terms and expressions as they are used in the context of the invention are included.

#Within the context of this invention “skin” is understood to be the layers which comprise it from the outermost layer or stratum corneum to the lowermost layer or hypodermis, both inclusive. These layers are comprised by different types of cells such as keratinocytes, fibroblasts, melanocytes and/or adipocytes among others.