Aromatic compounds, or prodrugs thereof, which contain an alkylating site and which are capable of alkylating the thiol group in N-acetyl-L-cysteine, in particular bis-aromatic .alpha.,.beta.-unsaturated ketones, are used for the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions or medicated feed, food or drinking water for the treatment or prophylaxis of diseases caused by microorganisms or parasites, in particular protozoa such as Leishmannia, Trypanosoma, Toxoplasma, Plasmodium, Pneumocystis, Babesia and Theileria, intestinal protozoa such as Trichormionas and Ciardia; Coccidia such as Eimeria, Isospora, Cryptosporidium; Cappilaria, Microsporidium, Sarcocystis. Trichlodina, Trichoditella, Dacihylogurus, Pseudodacthylogurus, Acantocephalus, Ichthylophtherius, Botrecephalus; and intracellular bacteria, in particular Mycobacterium, Legionella species, Listeria and Salmonella. Preferred compounds have the formula (II): X.sub.m --Ph--C(O)--CH.dbd.CH--Ph--Y.sub.n, wherein each phenyl group (Ph) may be mono- or polysubstituted; X and Y designate AR.sub.H or AZ, wherein A is O, S, NH or N(C.sub.1-6 alkyl), R.sub.H designates aliphatic hydrocarbyl, and Z is H or a masking group which is decomposed to liberate AH; m is 0, 1 or 2, and n is 0, 1, 2 or 3, whereby, when m is 2, then the two X are the same or different, and when n is 2 or 3, then the two or three Y are the same or different, with the proviso that n and m are not both 0. As examples of such compounds, chalcones, e.g. licochalcone A (obtainable i.a. from batches of Chinese licorice root of Glycyrrhiza species, e.g. G. uralensis or G. inflata) as well as hydroxy, alk(en)yl, and/or alk(en)yloxy analogues thereof are active in vitro and/or in vivo against i.a. L. major and P. falciparum.
Methods and compositions for treating disease caused by infectious agents, particularly tuberculosis. In particular, methods and compositions comprising substituted ethylene diamines for the treatment of infectious diseases are provided. In one embodiment, these methods and compositions are used for the treatment of mycobacterial infections, including, but not limited to, tuberculosis.
The invention relates to a method for treating Syndrome X, or inhibiting the onset of symptoms of Syndrome X in a patient, and includes administering a therapeutically effective amount of a salt of at least one alkylated and cross-linked polymer, or a copolymer thereof, the polymer salt formed as a product of the reaction of one or more polymers, or salts and copolymers thereof, having a repeat unit that is essentially: ##STR00001## where n is a positive integer and each R, independently, is H or a C.sub.1 C.sub.8 alkyl group; at least one aliphatic alkylating agent; and a cross-linking agent. Long term administration of the cross-linked polyamine salts of the invention increases HDL levels and decreases LDL levels in patients. The invention also provides for administration of the polymer salt colesevelam, in combination with an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor; the combined administration is effective in further lowering serum total-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol levels beyond that achieved by either agent alone.
