Methods for treatment of metabolic disorders using epimetabolic shifters, multidimensional intracellular molecules, or environmental influencers

Abstract

Methods and formulations for treating metabolic disorders in humans using epimetabolic shifters, multidimensional intracellular molecules or environmental influencers are described.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 177,241, filed May 11, 2009, entitled “Methods for Treatment of Oncological Disorders Using an Epimetabolic Shifter (Coenzyme Q10)” (Attorney Docket No.: 117732-00601), U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 177,243, filed May 11, 2009, entitled “Methods for Treatment of Oncological Disorders Using Epimetabolic Shifters, Multidimensional Intracellular Molecules or Environmental Influencers” (Attorney Docket No.: 117732-00701), U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 177,244, filed May 11, 2009, entitled “Methods for the Diagnosis of Oncological Disorders Using Epimetabolic Shifters, Multidimensional Intracellular Molecules or Environmental Influencers” (Attorney Docket No.: 117732-00801), U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 177,245, filed May 11, 2009, entitled “Methods for Treatment of Metabolic Disorders Using Epimetabolic Shifters, Multidimensional Intracellular Molecules or Environmental I...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]The present invention is partly based on the finding that mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with a wide range of diseases, including metabolic diseases (such as diabetes and obesity), and that certain endogenous molecules, such as CoQ10, hold the key to the successful diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of such metabolic diseases. The invention is also partly based on the finding that these key endogenous molecules play important roles in maintaining normal mitochondrial function by directly influencing oxidative phosphorylation, and that restoring or promoting more normalized mitochondrial osidative phosphorylation can effectively treat or prevent the progression of metabolic diseases. The invention is further based on the discovery that a class of environmental enfluencers (e.g., CoQ10) can selectively elicit, in disease cells of the metabolic diseases, a cellular metabolic energy shift towards more normalized mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. These environmental influencers are capable of modulating intracellular targets that serve as key indices of metabolic disorders (such as diabetes), in a manner representative of therapeutic endpoints.

[0044]In one embodiment, key elements of a metabolic disorder include impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, increased waist circumference, increased visceral fat content, increased fasting plasma glucose, increased fasting plasma triglycerides, decreased fasting high density lipoprotein level, increased blood pressure, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, cardiovascular disease, arteriosclerosis, coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, congestive heart failure, elevated plasma norepinephrine, elevated cardiovascular-related inflammatory factors, elevated plasma factors potentiating vascular endothelial dysfunction, hyperlipoproteinemia, arteriosclerosis or atherosclerosis, hyperphagia, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension or high blood pressure, increased plasma postprandial triglyceride or free fatty acid levels, increased cellular oxidative stress or plasma indicators thereof, increased circulating hypercoagulative state, hepatic steatosis, hetaptic steatosis, renal disease including renal failure and renal insufficiency.

[0049]In one embodiment, the environmental influencer effective in treating a metabolic disorder is capable of reducing glucose levels or lipid levels in a patient.

[0055]In one embodiment, the molecule does not negatively effect the health or growth of a normal cell.

Problems solved by technology

Because these conditions are often fatal, strategies to restore adequate glucose clearance from the bloodstream are required.

The consequent reduction in insulin production inevitably leads to the deregulation of glucose metabolism.

While the administration of insulin provides significant benefits to patients suffering from this condition, the short serum half-life of insulin is a major impediment to the maintenance of normoglycemia.

An alternative treatment is islet transplantation, but this strategy has been associated with limited success.

Although various therapeutic treatments are available for the management of type 2 diabetes, they are associated with various debilitating side effects.

Such lifestyle changes, however, are not sufficient to reverse the vascular and organ damages caused by diabetes.

Due to its insolubility in water, limited solubility in lipids, and relatively large molecular weight, the efficiency of absorption of orally administered CoQ10 is poor.

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