Description of Invention:
Different therapeutic classes of compounds that are able to increase blood flow and act as vasodilators have been used to treat a wide variety of disease indications including cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Endothelium-derived factors, such as nitric oxide (NO), play a crucial role in the maintenance of vascular homeostasis and NO-enhancing compounds have been administered alone or in combination with an approved pharmaceutical agent in order to provide an effective therapeutic treatment. Many of these therapies are very costly and there remains a strong need for an affordable treatment. Recent scientific work by the inventors provided evidence that the anion nitrite represents a circulating and tissue storage form of nitric oxide whose bioactivation is mediated by the nitrite reductase activity of deoxyhemoglobin [Nature Medicine 2003 9(12):1498-1505].
NIH scientists and their collaborators have now shown that low, physiological and non-toxic concentrations of sodium nitrite are able to increase blood flow and produce vasodilation by infused and nebulised routes of administration. Proof of concept data has been obtained in animal models for myocardial and hepatic ischemia and reperfusion injury, in a neonate lamb model for neonatal pulmonary hypertension, and in a primate model for prevention of delayed cerebral vasospasm following sub-arachnoid hemorrhage. The implications of these results point to the use of nitrite as a potential cost-effective platform therapy for a wide variety of disease indications characterized broadly by constricted blood flow or tissue hypoxia. Available for licensing are method of use claims for nitrite salt formulations directed to conditions associated with high blood pressure, decreased blood flow or hemolytic disease (E-254-2003/2) and for the treatment of specific conditions such as pulmonary hypertension, cerebral artery vasospasm and hepatic, cardiac or brain ischemia-reperfusion injury (E-254-2003/3).
Inventors:
M. Gladwin (CC) R. Cannon (NHLBI) A. Schechter (NIDDK) C. Hunter (CC) R. Pluta (NINDS) E. Oldfield (NINDS) D. Kim-Shapiro (EM) R. Patel (EM) D. Lefer (EM) G. Power (EM)
Patent Status:
DHHS Reference No. E-254-2003/0 /1 /2 /3 Licensing Status: This technology is no longer available for licensing.
Portfolios: Internal Medicine Central Nervous System
Central Nervous System -Therapeutics-Neurological Therapeutics-Stroke Central Nervous System -Therapeutics-Neurological Therapeutics-Other Internal Medicine-Therapeutics-Cardiology-Vasodilators Internal Medicine-Therapeutics-Cardiology-Other Central Nervous System -Therapeutics Internal Medicine-Therapeutics
For Additional Information Please Contact: Fatima Sayyid M.H.P.M.
NIH Office of Technology Transfer
6011 Executive Blvd, Suite 325
Rockville, MD 20852-3804
Phone: (301) 435-4521
Email: sayyidf@mail.nih.gov
Fax: (301) 402-0220
