This invention discloses isolated short peptides comprising the
amino acid sequence Cys-Glu-Phe-His (CEFH) and analogs thereof as well as compositions comprising CEFH peptides and analogs thereof. The CEFH peptides disclosed herein are effective in mediating the denitration of 3-nitrotyrosines (3-NT) in
cellular proteins thereby preventing
tissue damage associated with excess
nitric oxide (NO) and its reactive species. The CEFH peptides disclosed herein are useful in the treatment of
ischemia / reperfusion (I / R) injury of various tissues (e.g., I / R injury of heart
muscle associated with heart
attack or
cardiac surgery, I / R injury of
brain tissue associated with
stroke, I / R injury of
liver tissue, skeletal muscles, etc.),
septic shock,
anaphylactic shock, neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases), neuronal injury, atherosclerosis, diabetes,
multiple sclerosis, autoimmune
uveitis,
pulmonary fibrosis, oobliterative bronchiolitis,
bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD),
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS),
sepsis,
inflammatory bowel disease,
arthritis,
allograft rejection, autoimmune
myocarditis, myocardial
inflammation, pulmonary granulomatous
inflammation, influenza- or HSV-induced pneumonia, chronic
cerebral vasospasm, allergic
encephalomyelitis,
central nervous system (CNS)
inflammation, Heliobacterium pylori
gastritis, necrotizing entrerocolitis, celliac
disease,
peritonitis, early
prosthesis failure, inclusion body
myositis, preeclamptic pregnancies,
skin lesions with anaphylactoid purpura, nephrosclerosis, ileitis,
leishmaniasis,
cancer, and related disorders.