Technology Description
This technology describes a process for the preparation of the tripeptide glutathione or its precursors to be delivered to the mitochondria for treating age-related conditions, toxicologic exposures, neurodegeneration, heart disease, and liver damage. More specifically, glutathione precursors and derivatives are coupled to a lipophilic cation, triphenylphosphonium, to target these compounds to mitochondria.
Features & Benefits
Applications
Background of Invention
Mitochondrial glutathione is independently regulated from the cytoplasmic pool and has major effects upon preserving mitochondrial function in many diseases and after toxicant exposures. No one has successfully developed a means to increase glutathione in mitochondria. However, it is known that chemical coupling the positively charged triphenylphosphonium moiety to hydrophobic molecules can drive hydrophobic compound into mitochondria due to the organelle’s negative charge from the chemi-osmotic potential. Other triphenylphosphonium derivatives of hydrophobic antioxidants (“MitoQ”, or triphenylphosphonium -vitamin E) have been synthesized and are known to therapeutically efficacious. However, these compounds only augment mitochondrial antioxidant status in the lipid bilayer. These compounds furthermore cannot replace the loss of glutathione, which has a myriad of functions in mitochondria outside of being an antioxidant. Despite its obvious benefits, triphenylphosphonium - glutathione has not been successfully synthesized before because of several major challenges.
Status
Patent pending and availability for licensing