JPH0376294B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

The present invention relates to an agent for improving cachexia treatment. At present, the only way to treat cachexia is to rely on blood transfusions and infusion therapy and wait for the general condition to recover, and there is no excellent treatment or specific medicine, so there has been a desperate need for a drug to treat and improve cachexia. As a result of extensive research into cachexia, the present inventors discovered that protease pronase is effective in treating cachexia, leading to the present invention. Cachexia in the present invention includes, for example, cancer cachexia,
This refers to a state in which an original disease such as cachexia has progressed further and caused severe symptoms due to metabolic disorders, especially plasma protein reduction and fat loss. The active ingredient of the present invention is pronase, a proteolytic enzyme. The cachexia treatment improving agent of the present invention can be administered orally in the form of tablets, capsules, powders, granules, etc., or parenterally in the form of injections, suppositories, and ointments, using conventional formulation techniques. Furthermore, this drug can be used in combination with other drugs such as anticancer drugs, liver drugs, kidney drugs, antibiotics, immunostimulants, antihypertensive drugs, antiallergic drugs, etc. to enhance their effects. The dosage varies depending on the severity of the disease, administration method, dosage form, etc., but in the case of oral administration, the objective can be achieved with 1 to 5000 mg per adult. In particular, enteric-coated oral preparations are preferred. Furthermore, when the dosage is expressed in enzyme units, the purpose of pronase can be achieved by oral administration of 10,000 to 500,000 tyrosine units. Formulation Example 1 20g of pronase and 40g of lactose were mixed, 10g of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose was added, the mixture was formed into granules, and then coated evenly with cellulose acetate.
Enteric-coated granules. Formulation Example 2 The enteric-coated pronase granules obtained in Formulation Example 1 are filled into capsules to prepare capsules. Clinical case 1 Treatment of cancer cachexia A 56-year-old man underwent surgery for upper septal cancer 7 years ago and was hospitalized for recurrence 4 years ago. At the time of hospitalization, his whole body was severely weakened, and his red blood cell count was 3.2 million.
White blood cell count was 3000, protein fraction was impaired, albumin decreased, A/G decreased, and fat metabolism was impaired. Cholesterol levels also decreased, indicating a state of so-called cancer cachexia. Due to his low white blood cell count and cachexia, he was carefully administered anti-cancer drugs and radiation therapy, and was only able to maintain his physical strength through blood transfusions and fluid therapy. Treatment with pronase: Empinase P (manufactured by Kaken Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., enteric coated agent,
One tablet contains 9000 tyrosine units of pronase), administered orally at 6 tablets per day, 2 tablets after each meal, and after 8 weeks of administration, the red blood cell count, white blood cell count, protein fraction, and cholesterol level significantly improved, and floating cells also disappeared, and the disease worsened. It has escaped the liquid state. The results are shown in Table 1.

[Table] Clinical Case 2 Treatment of Cachexia due to Coriform Disease A 51-year-old man visited the outpatient clinic 4 years ago with foul-smelling rhinitis accompanied by high fever. Progressive gangrenous rhinitis was diagnosed through X-rays, blood tests, and biopsy tests.
He was in a state of cachexia. In addition to general blood tests, tests for protein fraction, cholesterol, and immunoglobulin levels revealed that the patient was severely impaired. Before the treatment with pronase, the patient received corticosteroid therapy at another large hospital, and the patient made a temporary recovery, but the patient had frequent recurrences and repeated adrenocortical hormone therapy each time. Currently, there is no treatment for this disease other than administration of adrenocortical hormones, but in this case, a large amount of adrenocortical hormones had already been administered, and the plasma protein fraction was significantly impaired. Treatment with pronase: Six tablets of Empinase P (manufactured by Kaken Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) were administered per day, two tablets after each meal, and the progress was observed. Three weeks later, the protein fraction, immunoglobulin, red blood cell count, and white blood cell count gradually improved, and the patient was out of cachexia after five weeks. Interestingly, an improvement in immunoglobulin levels was also observed. Moreover, an improvement was observed in the local pathology. The results are shown in Table 2.

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Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cachexia treatment improving agent containing the proteolytic enzyme pronase as an active ingredient.