Patent ID: 7153822

Claim:
A method of modulating a hemichannel in a cell, tissue or organ exposed to stress, the method comprising contacting the stressed cell, tissue or organ with a therapeutically effective amount of at least one compound selected from the group consisting of compounds represented as Formula I or II, wherein the contact is sufficient to modulate the hemichannel in the stressed cell, tissue or organ, wherein Formula I is defined as follows: wherein R 1 represents H or acetyl (Ac) R 2 represents a sidechain of one of the amino acids Gly, Tyr, D -Tyr, Phe and D -Phe, R 3 represents any amino acid sidechain, R 4 represents a sidechain of one of the amino acids Gly, Tyr, D -Tyr, Phe and D -Phe, R 5 represents OH or NH 2 , and a, S, T, P and Q are integers and independently=0 or 1; and salts thereof, and wherein Formula II is defined as follows: R1-X1-X2-X3-R2 wherein, X1 is 0, Ala, Gly, β-Ala, Tyr, D -Tyr, Asp, X2 is 0, Ala-Gly-T4c-Pro, Ala-Sar-Hyp-Pro, Ala-Asn, D -Asn- D -Ala, D -Asn, Gly, Ala, D -Ala, β-Ala, Asn or, X3 is Tyr, D -Tyr, Gly or Phe, and R1 is H or Ac, R2 is OH or NH 2 , with the proviso that X1 and X2 are not both 0; and salts thereof.