Melatonin-based treatment and diagnosis of bile duct disease
AssigneesThe Texas A&M University System, The United States of America as represented by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Scott & White Healthcare
InventorsGianfranco Alpini, Sharon DeMorrow, Shannon Glaser
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and composition for a melatonin signaling modulator-based diagnosis and therapy are described. For example, in certain aspects methods for administering an anti-tumor therapy using a melatonin signaling modulator are described. Furthermore, the invention provides compositions and methods for detecting biliary tract disease such as cholangiocarcinoma.
Claims6
A method for treating biliary hyperplasia, cholestasis, cholangiopathy, cholangiocarcinoma, primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) or primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) in a subject, comprising administering to the subject in need thereof a pharmaceutically effective amount of one or more agents selected from the group consisting of:
- i) an exogenous AANAT (aralkylamine N-acetyltransferase) expression cassette,
- ii) an exogenous ASMT (acetylserotonin O-methyltransferase) expression cassette,
- iii) an exogenous Per1 (period circadian protein homolog 1) expression cassette,
- iv) an exogenous Bmal1 (brain and muscle aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT)-like) inhibitory nucleic acid or nucleic acid analog,
- v) an exogenous CLOCK (Circadian Locomotor Output Cycles Kaput) expression cassette, and
- vi) melatonin,
- wherein the proliferation of cholangiocytes in the subject is inhibited.
A method of treating a subject known to have or suspected of having biliary hyperplasia, cholestasis, cholangiopathy, cholangiocarcinoma, primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) or primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), comprising administering to the subject a pharmaceutically effective amount of a composition comprising melatonin or a melatonin analog, wherein the composition is injected into a bile duct of the subject.
A method of treating a subject having a bile duct disease selected from the group consisting of liver transplant, drug-induced ductopenia, congenital ductopenia, obstruction, infection, or gall stones, comprising administering to the subject an agent that decreases activity or expression of AANAT in the subject.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.