Patent ID: 7763649

Claim:
A method of treating cardiac arrhythmia in a subject comprising administering to the subject who would benefit from such treatment an effective amount of a pharmaceutically acceptable formulation to increase connexin 43 expression in at least the a portion of the myocardium of the subject, said pharmaceutically acceptable formulation comprising a synthetic carotenoid analog or derivative; wherein the synthetic carotenoid analog or derivative has the structure wherein y is from 5 to 12; wherein each R 3 is independently hydrogen or methyl; and where each R 1 and R 2 are independently: wherein each substituent —W is independently —OX —O(CO)R, wherein each —X is independently -alkyl-NR 5 3 + , aryl-NR 5 3 + , -alkyl-CO 2 − , -aryl-CO 2 − , -amino acid-NH 3 + , -alkyl-O—PO 2 − , -phosphorylated amino acid-NH 3 + , polyethylene glycol, dextran, benzyl wherein each R 4 is independently -alkyl-NR 5 3 + , -aryl-NR 5 3 + , -aryl-CO 2 , -amino acid —NH 3 + , -phosphorylated amino acid-NH 3 + , polyethylene glycol, dextran, H, alkyl, aryl, or alkali salt; wherein each R 5 is independently H, alkyl, or aryl; wherein each R 6 is independently H, alkyl, benzyl, or alkali salt; wherein each —R is independently -alkyl-NR 5 3 + , -alkyl-NR 5 2 , -aryl-NR 5 3 + , -alkyl-CO 2 − , -alkyl-CO 2 H, -alkyl-CO 2 R 7 , -alkyl-CO 2 R 8 , —OR 8 , -aryl-CO 2 − , -amino acid-NH 2 , -amino acid-NH 3 + , -phosphorylated amino acid-NH 3 + , polyethylene glycol, dextran, H, or aryl, -alkyl-O—PO 2 -O-alkyl-NR 5 3 + , wherein R' is -alkyl-O, alkyl, or aryl; wherein R 7 is —CH 2 —CH(OH)—CH 2 —O—PO 2 —O-alkyl-NR 5 3 + , and wherein R 8 is -alkyl-NR 5 3 + , -aryl-NR 5 3 + , -aryl-CO 2 − , -amino acid-NH 3 + , -phosphorylated amino acid-NH 3 + , polyethylene glycol, dextran, H, alkyl or aryl.