Compositions and methods for preventing or treating diseases, conditions, or processes characterized by aberrant fibroblast proliferation and extracellular matrix deposition
Disclosed is the use of (a) a polypeptide of the amino acid sequence YARAAARQARAKALARQLGVAA (SEQ ID NO: 1) or a functional equivalent thereof selected from the group consisting of -a polypeptide of amino acid sequence FAKLAARLYRKALARQLGVAA (SEQ ID NO: 3)； -a polypeptide of amino acid sequence KAFAKLAARLYRKALARQLGVAA (SEQ ID NO: 4)； -a polypeptide of amino acid sequence YARAAARQARAKALARQLAVA (SEQ ID NO: 5)； -a polypeptide of amino acid sequence YARAAARQARAKALARQLGVA (SEQ ID NO: 6)； and -a polypeptide of amino acid sequence HRRIKAWLKKIKALARQLGVAA (SEQ ID NO: 7)； and (b) a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier in the manufacture of a medicament for therapeutic treatment of an injury to lung tissue progressing to loss of lung function, the lung injury comprising one or more of an aberrant deposition of an extracellular matrix protein in a pulmonary interstitium, wherein the extracellular matrix protein is collagen, an aberrant promotion of fibroblast proliferation in the lung, an aberrant induction of myofibroblast differentiation in the lung, and/or an aberrant promotion of attachment of myofibroblasts to an extracellular matrix compared to a normal healthy control subject, wherein the medicament is formulated for delivery to lung tissue of a subject by inhalation.
