Patent ID: 7045499

Claim:
A method for the depletion of serum amyloid P component (SAP) from the plasma of a subject in need of such treatment, which comprises: (a) administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a D-proline of the formula (R)-1-[6-[(R)-2-Carboxy-pyrrolidin-1-yl]-6-oxo-hexanoyl-]pyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or mono- or diester thereof, wherein R is the group (b) binding of at least two ligands of said D-proline by ligand binding sites of SAP proteins in the plasma; (c) forming thereby a complex between said D-proline and a plurality of SAP proteins, wherein the complex is abnormal to the subject; and (d) causing the complex to be identified by the physiological mechanisms of the subject and cleared from the plasma; and (e) monitoring the clearance of SAP from the subject's plasma.