Peptide T

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Peptide T is an HIV entry inhibitor discovered in 1986 by Candace Pert and Michael Ruff, a US neuroscientist and immunologist. Peptide T, and its modified analog Dala1-peptide T-amide (DAPTA), a drug in clinical trials, is a short peptide derived from the HIV envelope protein gp120 which blocks binding and infection of viral strains which use the CCR5 receptor to infect cells. DAPTA was initially administered as a nasal spray, but this formulation was found to be unstable. A more stable oral form, called RAP-103, is a shorter pentapeptide derived from DAPTA. RAP-103 is a CCR2/CCR5 antagonist that protects synapses by blocking the synaptotoxic actions of oligomeric forms of amyloid beta and alpha-synuclein., as well as HIV gp120, via a PrPc dependent pathway. Synapse loss underlies the cognitive losses attributed to these toxic proteins and the ensuing clinical conditions of AD, LBD, and HAND, which these peptide chemokine receptor antagonists may safely treat. In preclinical studies, RAP-103 has also been shown to prevent and reverse neuropathic pain and to reduce opioid addiction liability. Peptide T has several positive effects related to HIV disease and Neuro-AIDS. A FDG-PET neuro-imaging study in an individual with AIDS dementia who completed a 12-wk treatment with intranasal DAPTA, showed remission in 34 out of 35 brain regions after treatment. A placebo-controlled, three site, 200+ patient NIH-funded clinical trial, which focused on neurocognitive improvements, was conducted between 1990 and 1995. The results showed that DAPTA was not significantly different from placebo on the study primary end points. However, 2 of 7 domains, abstract thinking and speed of information processing, did show improvement in the DAPTA group (p<0.05). Furthermore, twice as many DAPTA-treated patients improved, whereas twice as many placebo patients deteriorated (P=0.02). A sub-group analysis showed that DAPTA had a treatment effect and improved global cognitive...