阅读说明：本技术 生物活性复合物的制备 (Preparation of biologically active complexes ) 是由 阿夫塔卜·纳迪姆 凯瑟琳娜·斯万堡 何俊勋 于 2018-05-14 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供了一种制备生物活性复合物的方法,所述方法包括将粉末状复合物形式的多肽成分如α-乳清蛋白或其片段与油酸或同样呈固体形式的其药学上可接受的盐的混合物溶解在包含至少两种盐的混合物,优选三种盐的水溶液中；其中该方法在中温下进行。由于该制备过程不需要大量加热,故操作简单有效。(The present invention provides a method for preparing a biologically active complex, said method comprising dissolving a mixture of a polypeptide component in the form of a powdered complex, such as alpha-lactalbumin or a fragment thereof, and oleic acid or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, also in solid form, in an aqueous solution comprising a mixture of at least two salts, preferably three salts; wherein the process is carried out at moderate temperatures. The preparation process does not need a large amount of heating, so the operation is simple and effective.)

1. A method of preparing a biologically active complex, which method comprises dissolving a mixture of a polypeptide ingredient in powder form and oleic acid or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, also in solid form, in an aqueous solvent comprising at least two salts, wherein the first salt is sodium chloride or potassium chloride and the second salt is disodium hydrogen phosphate or potassium dihydrogen phosphate, wherein the method is carried out at a mesophilic temperature of not more than 50 ℃.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the aqueous solvent further comprises a third salt that is sodium dihydrogen phosphate or potassium dihydrogen phosphate.

3. The process of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the intermediate temperature is 10-40 ℃.

4. The method of claim 3, which is carried out at ambient temperature.

5. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising filtering the formed solution.

6. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising removing the solvent and obtaining the complex in solid form.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the solvent is removed by lyophilization.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the polypeptide component is a naturally occurring protein selected from the group consisting of alpha-lactalbumin, lysozyme or other proteins with membrane interference activity or variants thereof, which variants lack intramolecular bonds, or in particular, are fragments of any of the aforementioned proteins.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said polypeptide moiety is a peptide fragment of up to 50 amino acids.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said peptide fragment comprises an alpha-helical domain of a naturally occurring protein as defined in claim 8 or a variant thereof.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the peptide has the sequence of SEQ ID NO 1, SEQ ID NO2, SEQ ID NO 5, or SEQ ID NO 6.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the peptide has the sequence of SEQ ID NO 7.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the polypeptide is alpha-lactalbumin.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the polypeptide is bovine alpha-lactalbumin.

15. A process as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first salt is sodium chloride.

16. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the second salt is disodium hydrogen phosphate.

17. The method of claim 2, wherein the third salt is potassium dihydrogen phosphate.

18. A method as claimed in claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the complex is reconstituted with sterile water prior to use.

19. A biologically active complex obtained by the method of any one of the preceding claims.

20. A pharmaceutical composition comprising the biologically active complex of claim 19.

21. A nutraceutical composition comprising the bioactive complex of claim 19.

22. A method of treating or preventing cancer or a viral infection, the method comprising administering to a patient in need thereof an effective amount of a biologically active complex of claim 18 or a composition of claim 19 or claim 20.

23. A biologically active complex comprising a peptide corresponding to SEQ ID NO 6, and oleic acid or a salt thereof.

24. The biologically active complex of claim 23, wherein said peptide has the sequence shown in SEQ ID NO 7.

25. A peptide having a sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO 6.

26. The peptide of claim 25, having the sequence shown in SEQ ID NO 7.

Summary of The Invention

The present invention provides a process for the preparation of a biologically active complex, said process comprising dissolving a mixture of a polypeptide component in powder form and oleic acid or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, also in solid form, in an aqueous solution comprising at least two salts, wherein the first salt is sodium chloride or potassium chloride and the second salt is disodium hydrogen phosphate or potassium dihydrogen phosphate, wherein, in particular, the process is carried out at moderate temperature.

As used herein, the expression "moderate temperature" refers to temperatures of up to 50 deg.C, such as from 0 to 50 deg.C, such as from 10 to 40 deg.C, more preferably from 15 to 25 deg.C, such as at ambient temperature. Such temperatures are typically below the "melting temperature" at which the polypeptide unfolds or denatures. However, applicants have found that they are still capable of forming biologically active complexes under these salt conditions.

Applicants have found that by the simple dissolution method of the present invention, active complexes can be prepared which exhibit a significant dose-dependent response. Although the mixture may be heated, for example up to 50 c, such as up to 40 c, to achieve rapid dissolution, extensive heating of the solution, such as boiling, is not required if the appropriate salt equilibrium is present in the aqueous solvent. Thus, in a particular embodiment, the process is carried out at ambient temperature.

Agitation (e.g., vortexing) may facilitate dissolution. If desired, the solution may be filtered at this stage with a sterile filter. Suitable filters include polyethersulfone membranes (PES) or

NML cellulose acetate film.

Any such stirring process will be carried out for a period of time to ensure that the ingredients are dissolved in the salt solution. Although the specific time may depend on a number of factors, such as the particular nature of the polypeptide used and the temperature at which the mixture is kept, the time will generally be very short, for example not more than 10 minutes, for example 1-5 minutes, such as about 2 minutes.

In a particular embodiment, the solvent further comprises a third salt which is sodium dihydrogen phosphate or dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, in particular dipotassium hydrogen phosphate. Such a mixture is present in a conventional PBS solution.

Thus, the method is readily prepared in a variety of manufacturing and non-manufacturing environments.

The term "polypeptide" as used herein encompasses proteins and peptides including long peptides.

Suitable "polypeptide components" for use in the method of the invention include naturally occurring proteins, in particular alpha-lactalbumin, lysozyme or other proteins having membrane interference activity, recombinant proteins and in particular variants of said naturally occurring proteins which lack intramolecular chemical bonds, such as variants with mutations in cysteine residues, or in particular fragments of any of these proteins, in particular peptides of up to 50 amino acids.

The term "variant" refers to a protein or polypeptide having similar biological function but with an amino acid sequence that differs from the base sequence from which it was derived, in which one or more amino acids in the sequence from which it was derived have been substituted with other amino acids. Amino acid substitutions may be considered "conservative" in that an amino acid is substituted with a different amino acid having widely similar properties. Non-conservative substitutions are substitutions of amino acids to different types of amino acids.

"conservative substitution" refers to the substitution of one amino acid by another amino acid of the same class, wherein the class is defined as follows:

as is well known to those skilled in the art, altering the primary structure of a peptide by conservative substitutions may not significantly alter the activity of the peptide, as the side chains of the amino acids of the inserted sequence may form similar bonds and contacts to the original side chains of the substituted amino acids. Even when the substitution is in a critical region that determines the conformation of the peptide.

Non-conservative substitutions may be made as long as the function of the DNA binding domain polypeptide is not impaired.

Broadly speaking, fewer non-conservative substitutions will be possible without altering the biological activity of the polypeptide.

It is well within the routine ability of those skilled in the art to determine the effect of any substitution (and indeed, any amino acid deletion or insertion) and to readily determine whether a variant polypeptide retains the basic properties and activity of a basic protein. For example, when determining whether a variant of a polypeptide is within the scope of the invention, the skilled artisan will determine whether a complex comprising the variant retains the biological activity of the complex comprised of the native protein in unfolded form (e.g., tumor cell death). The polypeptide has at least 60%, preferably at least 70%, more preferably at least 80%, even more preferably 90%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or 100% of the biological activity of the native protein.

Variants of the polypeptide may comprise or consist essentially of an amino acid sequence which is at least 70% identical to the amino acid sequence of the native protein, such as at least 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 96%, 97%, 98% or 99%, for example an alpha-lactalbumin or lysozyme sequence.

The level of sequence identity is suitably determined by using the BLASTP computer program, with the native protein sequence as the base sequence. This means that the native protein sequence forms a sequence with a defined percentage of identity. BLAST software is publicly available from http:// BLAST. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/BLAST. cgi (accessible 5 months and 10 days ago 2017).

In a particular embodiment, the polypeptide component is a peptide having no more than 50 amino acids, and in particular may have 10-45 amino acids. Such composites are easier to prepare and lower in raw material cost. For example, the peptides can be prepared using conventional methods for producing peptides. Due to the smaller molecular weight, the formed complex is easier to handle and formulate for administration.

The complex is suitably derived from a naturally occurring protein or variant thereof. Suitable proteins are those which are active in such complexes, for example alpha-lactalbumin, beta-lactoglobulin or lysozyme, but may also be derived from any membrane interfering protein.

Membrane-interfering proteins are proteins that have the ability to interact with the cell membrane interface, in particular causing destructive effects, such as the formation of tube channels in the cell membrane. Typically, the protein will become embedded in the cell membrane. Examples of such proteins include coat complexes such as COPI, COPII (e.g., SAR 1), HOPS/CORVET, SEA (Sehl binding), and clathrin complex BAR domain proteins such as endorphins, and ESCR complexes including Snf7 domain subunits.

In particular, the peptide is derived from the alpha-helical domain of a naturally occurring protein as described above. The alpha-helical domain of the protein is well known in the art or can be determined using conventional methods.

In some embodiments, when the alpha-helical domains comprise cysteine residues, they may be modified to different amino acid residues, such as alanine residues, to avoid intermolecular disulfide bonds.

In a particular embodiment, the peptide is a fragment of alpha-lactalbumin, in particular a fragment of the alpha domain of alpha-lactalbumin. In a particular embodiment, the peptide comprises amino acids of alpha 1 (residues 1-40) or alpha 2 (residues 81-123) of human alpha-lactalbumin, or similar regions of other alpha-lactalbumin, such as bovine alpha-lactalbumin.

The peptide suitably does not comprise a folding-causing component and therefore suitably lacks amino acids, such as cysteine residues, that cause intramolecular bonding. In particular, when the peptide is derived from a naturally occurring protein, any cysteine residue is substituted with another amino acid, such as alanine.

Thus, in a particular embodiment, the complex comprises amino acids of human α -lactalbumin α 1 (residues 1-40) or α 2 (residues 81-123), in which the cysteine is substituted with another amino acid, for example alanine, to prevent any intramolecular linkage.

Thus, the sequence of the peptide may be as shown in SEQ ID NO 1 or SEQ ID NO2

KQFTKXELSQLLKD IDGYGGIALPELIXTM FHTSGYDTQA(SEQ ID NO 1)

LDDDITDDIMXAKKILDIKGIDYWLAHKALXTEKLEQWLXEKL(SEQ ID NO 2)

Wherein X is an amino acid other than cysteine

One particular example of such a sequence is the following SEQ ID NO 3 or SEQ ID NO 4:

KQFTKAELSQLLKDIDGYGGIALPELIATMFHTSGYDTQA(SEQ ID NO 3)

LDDDITDDIMAAKKILDIKGIDYWLAHKALATEKLEQWLAEKL(SEQ ID NO 4)。

in some cases, the peptide chain corresponding to SEQ ID NO 1 may be deleted, for example omitting the terminal alanine residue, to produce the peptide chain shown as SEQ ID NO 6, with SEQ ID NO 7 being a specific example.

KQFTKXELSQLLKD IDGYGGIALPELIXTMFHTSGYDTQ(SEQ ID NO 6)

KQFTKAELSQLLKDIDGYGGIALPELIATMFHTSGYDTQ(SEQ ID NO 7)

Such peptides are novel and form a further aspect of the invention together with biologically active complexes comprising them.

Other peptides may also be used in the complex, and suitability may be tested by determining whether the complex with a fatty acid salt is active, for example, to kill cells using the methods described below.

In another embodiment, the peptide is derived from the COPII family of proteins such as SAR1, and a specific example of such a peptide is the peptide chain corresponding to SEQ ID NO 5

MAGWDIFGWF RDVLASLGLW NKH(SEQ ID NO 5)。

In another embodiment, the polypeptide component is a naturally occurring protein or a synthetic form thereof, in particular an alpha-lactalbumin, for example human, bovine, ovine, camel or caprine alpha-lactalbumin. In particular, the protein is bovine milk albumin.

As used herein, the term "biologically active" means that the complex has a biological activity that is different from or higher than that of the individual components. In particular, the complex is capable of inducing cell death, in particular selectively inducing cell death of tumor cells, and/or has a bactericidal or antiviral effect not possessed by native proteins (including for example monomeric alpha-lactalbumin forms), although other therapeutic effects may also be achieved.

In particular, the oleic acid used in the process of the invention is of the formula CH₃(CH₂)₇CH＝CH(CH₂)₇COOH or CH₃(CH₂)₇CH＝CH(CH₂)₇COO^-C18:1 oleic acid.

In a particular embodiment, a pharmaceutically acceptable oleate is used in the method. Suitable pharmaceutically acceptable salts are understood by the general knowledge in the art.

The use of salts, especially water-soluble salts of oleic acid, fatty acids or lipids, means that the preparation process is simpler, since it can form aqueous solutions for use in, for example, ion exchange columns and the like. Suitable water-soluble salts are alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salts, for example sodium or potassium salts.

It has also been found that salts, especially oleates, such as sodium oleate, may have some inherent tumor killing effect. Thus, inclusion of the same in a complex may enhance the relevant biological activity of the complex.

In a particular embodiment, the first salt used in the process of the invention is sodium chloride.

In another specific embodiment, the second salt used in the method of the invention is disodium hydrogen phosphate.

In another specific embodiment, the third salt used in the method of the invention is potassium dihydrogen phosphate.

Suitable ratios of the first salt to the second salt for use in the process of the invention are from 8:1 to 1: 1, for example from 5: 1 to 2: 1, especially from 4: 1 to 3.5: 1. If a third salt is present, the ratio of the first salt to the third salt is from 20: 1 to 5: 1, such as from 15: 1 to 10: 1, such as from 12.5: 1 to 11.5: 1.

In a particular embodiment, the ratio of the first salt to the second salt to the third salt is from 13 to 12: 4-3: 1.

suitable ratios of oleic acid or oleate to peptide in the mixture in the process of the invention are in the range 20: 1 to 1: 1, but preferably the oleate is in excess, for example the ratio oleate to peptide is about 5: 1. The temperature of mixing is from 0 to 50 ℃, usually at ambient temperature and pressure.

If desired, the product of the process of the invention may be solidified, for example by lyophilization, for storage or formulation. Thereafter, it can be reconstituted using, in particular, sterile water. This step is particularly suitable where the polypeptide is a peptide rather than a protein. Applicants have found that proteins can revert to a naturally folded state when subjected to procedures such as lyophilization.

This problem of natural folding can be alleviated by stabilizing the polypeptide in the unfolded state, for example by lowering the pH of the solution to below, for example, 4, or by adding a calcium chelating agent such as EDTA to the solvent during preparation. In a second aspect, the present invention provides a complex obtainable by the method of the first aspect.

Thus, the complexes of the second aspect of the invention may be formulated into useful pharmaceutical compositions by mixing them with pharmaceutically acceptable carriers in a conventional manner. Such a composition forms a third aspect of the invention.

The composition of the third aspect of the invention is a suitable pharmaceutical composition in a form suitable for topical use, for example a cream, ointment, gel or aqueous or oily solution or suspension. These may include pharmaceutically recognized carriers, fillers and/or contingency methods.

The topical solution or cream suitably comprises an emulsifier for the protein complex and a diluent or cream base.

The daily dose of the complex varies according to the clinical practice and depends on the patient, the nature of the disease to be treated, etc. Typically, 2-200 mg/dose of the biologically active complex is used per administration.

In another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of treating cancer comprising administering to a patient in need thereof a biologically active complex as described above.

In particular, the complexes are useful for the treatment of cancers, such as human skin papillomas, human bladder cancer and glioblastoma. In the latter case, administration can be by infusion as is known in the art.

The invention further provides a biologically active complex as defined above for use in therapy, in particular for use in the treatment of cancer.

The complexes may also be used for the prevention of cancer, in particular gastrointestinal cancer, as described in, for example, WO 2014/023976. In this case, the complex may be combined with a food product, for example a dairy product such as yoghurt, for use as a health product. Compositions of this type form a further aspect of the invention.

Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the words "comprise" and variations of the words, for example, the words "comprise" and "comprise", mean "including but not limited to", and do not exclude other components, integers or steps. Furthermore, unless the context indicates otherwise, singular nouns include their plural forms: in particular, where the indefinite article is used, the specification is to be understood as contemplating plurality as well as singularity, unless the context requires otherwise.

Preferred features of each aspect of the invention may be as described in connection with any of the other aspects. Within the scope of the present application, it is intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set forth in the foregoing paragraphs, claims and/or in the following description and drawings, particularly various features thereof, may be used independently or in combination. That is, features of all embodiments and/or any embodiment may be combined in any manner and/or combination unless incompatible with each other.

Drawings

The invention will now be described in more detail by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings, in which

FIG. 1 shows the results of a study of ATP Lite, PrestoBlue and Tryphan Blue obtained using a series of complexes having biological activity on tumor cells;

FIG. 2 shows a comparison of similar results obtained with filtered and unfiltered solutions;

fig. 3 shows (a) a schematic and photograph of the preparation of a complex containing bovine alpha-lactalbumin, and (B) the results of studies on ATP Lite, PrestoBlue and Tryphan Blue of tumor cells to which the resulting solution was administered.

Detailed Description

Example 1

Preparation of bioavailable complexes

A series of bioavailable complexes were prepared using peptides having the sequence shown in SEQ ID NO 7:

Ac-KQFTKAELSQLLKDIDGYGGIALPELIATMFHTSGYDTQ-OH(SEQ ID NO 7)

it is a variant fragment of human alpha-lactalbumin.

The peptide in lyophilized form (700. mu.M) was added to the tube along with sodium oleate flakes (3.5 mM). Each tube was then reconstituted to any of the following volumes as required:

1)PBS(NaCl 6.8g/L；)，Na₂HPO_4×2H₂o (4.8 g/L); and KH₂PO₄(1.3g/L)(pH7.2)

2) NaCl solution (116mM) (pH 7.01)

3)Na₂HPO₄Solution (31mM) (pH 8.6)

4)KH₂PO₄Solution (9.56mM) (pH 4.6)

5) Mixture of (2) and (4) (pH 4.63)

6) (2) and (3) (pH 8.37)

7) (3) and (4) (pH 7.29)

Each mixture was vortexed until the solution was clear.

The resulting complex was then lyophilized. The lyophilization conditions are a pressure below 1.2mbar and a temperature below-55 ℃.

Each tube was stored at-20 ℃ or lower and reconstituted by the addition of 30ml of sterile water prior to use.