CA2087158A1 - Method for the preparation and purification of a mixture of glycosphingolipids free from contamination by non-conventional viruses - Google Patents

Abstract

The process of the invention relates to a process for the preparation of a ganglioside mixture, free from contaminants associated with non-conventional, life-threatening viruses, without altering the biological and pharmacological characteristics of the mixture on the central and peripheral nervous systems.

Description

WO92/2069s PCT/EPg1/00918 - 20871~8 ~- ~

METHOD FOR T~E PREPARATION AND PURIFICATION
OF A MIXTURE OF GLYCOSPHINGOLIPIDS FREE FROM
CONTAMINATION BY NON-CONVENTIONAL VIRUSES

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Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of a specific mixture of ~
gangliosides, and the product produced by such -process, obtained by a process which selectively eliminates contaminants associated with non-conventional, life-threatening viruses, without altering the biological and pharmacological characteristics o~ the mixture with regard to its ef~ects on the central and peripheral nervous systems.

Backaround of the Inventio~
Gangliosides, glycosphingolipids containing sialic acid, are normal constituents of all cell me~branes in mammals and are abundant in the nerve tissue (Ando S.: ~Neurochem. Int. 5:507, }983).
~20 - ~ Four gangliosides, GMl, GDl., GD1b~and GT~
(nomenclature~according to Svennerholm L., J.
N~urochem, 10:613, 1963), constitute 80-90% of the ; total ganglioside content of the mammal brain.
Gangliosides are specifically localized in the outer 2s~ ~ layer of the plasma membrane, suggesting that they play an important~role in many biological .

W092/2~95 PCT/EP91/00918 2 087 1~8 2 activities, for instance as a "sensor" and/or receptor for various molecules, and in the transfer of information through the cell membranes (Fishman et al.: Science 194:906, 1976). They therefore play a key role in the regulation of ne~ronal development and repair in the central and peripheral nervous systems.
There is indeed ample documentation that gangliosides are able to favorably influence functional recovery following lesion in the peripheral nervous system ~PNS) and central nervous system (CNS), by the involvement of specific membrane mechanisms and by interaction with neurotrophic factors as revealed by in vitro studies ;
on neuronal cultures (Doherty P. et al., J.
Neurochem. 44:1259, 1985; Skaper S. et al., ~ -Molecular Neurobiology, 3:173, 1989). ;
In particular, it has been reported that the administration of gangliosides in vivo facilitates nerve regeneration and functional recovery in the PNS under pathological conditions: positive effects have been described in models of traumatic neuropathies (Ceccarelli B. et al., Adv. Exp. Med.
Biol. 71:275, Plenum Press, New York, 1976; Gorio A.
et al., Brain Res. 7:236, 1980; Gario A. et al., Neuroscience 8:417, 1983), metabolic neuropathies (Norido F. et al., Exp. Neurol. 83:221, 1984) and toxic neuropathies (Di Gregorio F. et al., Cancer Chemother., Pharmacol. 26:31, 1990).
With regard to the CNS, positive effects have been widely reported of recovery induced by monosialoganglioside GMl in models of ischemia (Cuello A.C. et al., Brain Res. 376:373, 1986;
Karpiak S.E. et al., CRC Critical Rev. in Neurobiology, Vol. 5, Issue 3, 1990), traumatic lesion (Toffano G. et al., Brain Res. 296:233, 1984) and neuronotoxic lesion (Johnsson J., Dev. Brain , . ,. . , . ,.,. .. , . .. . . ~ . .. , . ,., - ~ - - -, . . .

W092/20695 PCT/EPg1/~918 2~71~8 Res., 16:171, 1984) in various neuronal systems of different animal species. It has recently been discovered that gangliosides can inhibit the translocation and activation of protein kinase C
S induced by glutamate (Vaccarino F. et al., Proc.
Nat. Acad. Sci. USA, 84:3707, 1987). This action is very important in conditions of ischemic damage, where there have been reports of a crucial role played by excitatory amino acids, such as glutamate, which trigger a cascade of events leading to neuronal death. This mechanism could favor the survival of neurons in the area around the lesion, prevent retrograde degeneration, and accelerate the reparative growth response to local trophic factors.

The results of experimental research have been amply confirmed by those from the clinical use of gangliosides. For over ten years gangliosides have been used as therapeutic agents in almost all forms of peripheral neuropathy, from those forms resulting from mechanical damage to those caused by toxic factors or deficiencies, from infectious and inflammatory disorders to metabolic dysfunctions.
These drugs have proved to be equally efficacious in mono and polyneuropathies, in sensory-motor disorders and in pathologies affecting the autonomic nervous system, such as in many neuropathies affecting the cranial nerves, for instance Bell's palsy, trigeminal neuralgia, and neuralgia caused by herpes zoster. Gangliosides, and in particular the monosialoganglioside, can be widely used in all ~ -pathologies connected with acute lesions in the CNS
of a vascular or traumatic type and in the sequelae of such pathologies (cerebral ischemia, cranial and spinal trauma).
Their proven reparative activity in the CNS
also supports their use in chronic neurodegenerative . .... .. , ., .. , ...... ., .. , . . . , . . - . - - . . ., , ,, . . .. . -.. ~ . .. .. , . . : , .................. ... . . . . ..

~ .' " .: ' .: : . ~ , ' W092/20695 PCT/EP91/~9l8 20 87 1~8 4 pathologies, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. The fact that they are "endocoids" (endogenous drugs) by nature, being natural components of the neuronal membranes, explains their excellent tolerability and the absence, even in prolonged treatments with high doses, of side effects which are so frequent in some conventional therapies for peripheral neuropathies.
In general, suitable ganglioside mixtures, for example a formulation of the following kind: GM~ ;
from 18% to 24%, GD~. from 36% to 44%, GDlb from 12%
to 18%, GT1b from 16% to 22%, or the single ganglioside fractions, particularly the monosialoganglioside GMl, present biological activities such as those described. These gangliosides, as suitable mixtures or single fractions, in particular the monosialoganglioside GM~, are extracted from mammal brains and it is therefore necessary, given their particular biological function and their therapeutic application previously described with regard to the peripheral and central nervous systems, to utilize purification methods which guarantee a final product which is absolutely pure and free from biological and chemical contaminants.
It has long been known that it is possible to extract, on a research level, mixtures of gangliosides (Tettamanti et al., Biochim. e 8iophys. -Acta, 296:160, 1973; Trams et al., Biochim. e Biophys. Acta, 60:350, 1962: Bogoch et al., British J. Pharm., 18:625, 1962; Wiegandt et al., Angew Chem. 80:89, 1968; U.S. Patent No. 3,436,413; and C.A. 61, 9851C, 9895d), but none of the aforesaid methods was developed with a view to demonstrating the elimination and destruction of components - associated with non-conventional viruses. One reason for this is that, at the time, such diseases, . . . .
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W092/2~95 2 0 8 715 8 PCT/EP91/00918 affecting the mammalian spe~ies to which the brains used for extraction belonged, were as yet unknown.
Another reason is that no reagents were available for the specific identification of potentially dangerous components, whereas today such reagents have been made available by specific methodologies developed on the basis of newly-acquired knowledge gleaned from the scientific evolution of molecular biology techniques.
Sometimes situations of a pathological type can arise wherein the pathogenic agent or agents cannot be identified. One such pathological situation is called bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), first reported in England in 1986 (Wells G. et al., Vet.
Record, 419, 1986). This name derives from the spongy appearance of the brain tissue from afflicted ~-animals. When sections of tissue are analyzed by microscope, the main lesions are comprised by extensive neuronal vacuoles.
All available evidence points to the fact that BSE belongs to a group of degenerative encephalopathies of the central nervous system which are invariably fatal in outcome and are caused by a group of non-conventional, infectious agents (Fraser et al., Vet. Record 123:472, 1988: Hope et al., Nature 336:390, 1988). This group also includes scrapie of sheep and goats, the chronic emaciating disease which afflicts captive deer, infectious encephalopathy of mink on mink farms, and two human diseases; kuru and Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease. ~he histopa-~ological lesions caused in the brain by these diseases are similar in all cases and are comparable to those caused by BSE. Many theories have been put forward on the nature of these etiological agents, which are neither bacteria nor virus, are unlike any other kn~wn organism and are therefore known as unconvention~l viruses. On -"

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.' ' . : . ., ,, ': , , : ' . ! . . . ~ . ' . . . : . . ' ' ' W092/20695 PCT/EP91/~918 2087i~8 6 account of their long incubation periods, running from the moment of infection to the onset of symptoms, these viruses are also known as "slow -I -viruses".
Since the few cases observed in 1986, the disease spread and has reached epidemic proportions in Britain, affecting some 14,000 cattle and increasing steadily by about 250-300 cases each week. The infected cattle show no signs of disease for several years ~the incubation period being 4-5 years), but once symptoms have appeared the animals rapidly deteriorate and die.
An epidemiological study by the Central Veterinary Laboratory-of the British Ministry of Agriculture (Wilesmith et al., Vet. Record. 123:638, 1988) showed the source of infection to be animal fodder made with the processed carcasses of other ruminants, sold in the form of powdered meat or bone. Since the encephalopathy can be transmitted to a wide range of animal species, it seems reasonable to assume that BSE is the result of inSection by the etiological agent responsible for 6crapie, transmitted from sheep by means of these contaminated foodstuffs (Norgan KL, Vet. Record 122:445, 1988).
on the basis o~ the results of this study, the British government banned/ by an order which came into forca on 18th July 1988, the sale and supply of animal foodstuffs containing animal proteins derived from ruminants.
The general opinion is that many factors have contributed together to the sudden appearance of BSE
in Britain (Cherfas J., Science, Feb. 1990, 523).
Firstly, the number of sheep in Great 8ritain increased rapidly in the late 70's and early 80's, and with this the incidence of scrapie, an endemic disease of sheep in Europe for over 250 years . . .- .. ~ ., . ,, . ..................... : , . ..

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(Pattison et al., Vet. Record 90:465, 1972). At the same time, in the wake of the petrol crisis, factories producing animal fodder changed their methods of processing carcasses to a lower-temperature system which was probably less efficientin destroying the highly resistant scrapie agent.
All except one of the producers of these foodstuffs abandoned the use of solvents such as benzene, hexane and trichloroethylene, to remove excess fats from soybean and bone meal. Perhaps most significant of all was that the final stage of heating of the products to remove the solvents was coneequently left out: indeed this phase required very high temperatures.
Moreover, government policy encouraged breeders to produce more milk, and wean calves early by feeding them protein-rich diets. These were often of poor quality, since meal made from meat and bone was cheaper than products made with soybean and fish are surer sources of protein. Studies to find how the disease is transmitted are fundamental to BSE
research. The most important aspect of these experiments is that, by identifying the limits of the inter-species barriers to transmission of the pathogenic agent, it is possible to assess the ris~
of BSE infection to any one specie9. Fraser et al.
(Vet. Record, 123:472, 1988) demonstrated that the disease could be passed from cattle to mice. They inoculated extracts from the brains of cattle which had died from BSE into the brains of mice which subsequently developed the disease. Later, Barlow et al. (Vet. Record, 3 Feb. 1990) transmitted the -disease to mice by feeding them infected brains. It was the first proof that BSE could be contracted by 3S eating infected material. No other tissue from afflicted animals (spleen, spinal cord, lymphatic W092/2069~o 8 7 ~ 5 8 PCT/EP91/00918 tissues, milk etc.) was able to produce the disease in mice.
There is proof that scrapie can be transmitted to lambs by their mothers, but so far no evidence has come to light of possible vertical or horizontal transmission of the etiological agent of BSE in cattle. -The agents which cause subacute infectious encephalopathies are extremely resistant to standard decontamination processes. Available data on this aspect mostly originate from studies on the inactivation of agents of scrapie and Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease. The etiological agent of scrapie is highly resistant to temperature change. When exposed to temperatures of up to 80-C their infectiousness is only slightly reduced; higher temperatures however markedly reduce infectiousness (Hunter et al., J. Gen. Nicrobiol. 37:251, 1964). A
small quantity of infectious "virus" sometimes persists when suspensions of infected material are heated to lOO-C for 1 hour or to 118-C for 10 minutes.
Recently, the need was felt to renew standards of sterilizing these infectious agents under high steam pressure in autoclaves. The current standaras govern~ng autoclaving in the United States for the decontamination of Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease involve treatment at 132-C for 1 hour (Rosenberg et al., Annals of Neurology 19:75, 1986), and is based on studies carried out on brain homogenates containing scrapie or Creutzfeldt-Jacob agents (Brown et al., J. of Infectious Diseases 153:1145, 1986). In Bxitain the current standard of autoclaving for decontamination from Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease involves treatment in an autoclave at 134-138-C for 18 minutes, on the basis of some studies including one by Ximberlin (Ximberlin et al., Journal of ~-.
.

W092/2~95 2 ~ 8 71~ 8 PCT/EP91/00918 9 ,.
Neurological Sciences 59:3S5, 1983). Unfortunately, the bovine spongiform encephalopathy agents are very resistant even to common chemical treatments, as well as physical ones. Solvents such as benzene, hexane, petrol and trichloroethylene have been used as extraction solvents, but little is known of their effects on infectivity. Only a small quantity of data is available on the chemical inactivation of infective agents, mainly because studies require large numbers of animals and long observation times.
Concentrations of 0.3% - 2.5% of sodium hypochlorite greatly reduced infectivity in the biological assays used, but often did not completely eliminate it (Walker et al., Am. J. Publ. Health 73:661, 1983).
Data regarding treatment with up to 0.2S N sodium hydroxide are very variable; at concentrations of over 1 N it appears however to be the most efficacious chemical agent of all those studied.
Treatment with 6M-8N urea was also reported to be highly variable.
The results of the studies on decontamination thus show that, although most of the infectivity is quickly destroyed by many of the different physical and chemical processes, the existence of small subpopulations of resistant infectious agents makes sterilization of contaminated materials extremely dif~icult in practice.
Once BSE had been identified as a "scrapie-like" disease, important questions began to be asked --on epidemiological and analytical levels, the latter ~ -in particular being aimed at identifying the agent associable with infectivity. However, all efforts so far made to identify nucleic acids associated with the etiological agent have been unfruitful.
The only component isolated, which is associated unequivocally with the infective action, is a W 0 92/20695 ~8 lo P~r/EP91/00918 sialoglycoprotein called scrapie prion protein prpsc) Genetic studies conducted on this protein subses~uently provided some surprising information.
Some DNA probes synthesized according to the N
terminal seS~uence of the protein have made it possible to show the presence of a chromosome gene -in individual copy that exhibits the same restriction pattern both in the brains of healthy animals as in the brains of infected animals. This gene, which is conserved even in very different species, codes a protein called cellular prion protein ~PrPC) with an apparent molecular weight of 33-35.0 kilodaltons (kd), which shows particularly evident differences with respect to the PrPsG:
1) pr~C is susceptible to protease, while prpSC is resistant. In particular, while prpC is degraded completely by the enzyme proteinase K, prpSC
is hydrolyzed at the level of the N terminal for a fragment of about 5 kd and gives rise to a protein called PrP2,30. This form copurifies with the $nfectivity and is the most abundant component that is obtained in the preparations of infective material.
2) Both prpC and PrPs are membrane proteins, but while the first i5 solubilized by treatment with detergents, the second tends to polymerize into 7 '' ' amyloid fibrous structures. Similar structures (scrapie-associated fibrils, SAF) have been found in in~ected brains and are peculiar of this type of infection. The resistance of this infective protein to inactivation is unusual: it is sensitive, for example, to treatments with concentrated alkaline solutions or to exposure to temperatures above 120C
and to their combinations or combinations with different denaturing agents. Conse~uently, the only diagnostic methods available for unes~uivocal .

, . :. .. . . . . .. .. ... . . .. . ...

W092/20695 2 0 8 71~ 8 PCT/EP91/0~918 identificatio~ of these spongiform encephalopathies are the verification of the presence of the SAF in the infected cerebral tissues, extraction and immunochemical identification of the protein PrP2~30, methodologies applicable only during pathological ~ -anatomy.
The SAF have been identified on infected bovine brains, then the homolog of the PrPs' was isolated and showed reactivity with a serum obtained against mouse SAF. Further, the N terminal sequence of the first 12 amino acids showed 100% homology with the prpSC of sheep and a difference from that of the mouse, hamster and man by a single insertion of glycine. As soon as it was established that BSE is a "scrapie-like" disease, some important questions arose at the epide~iological and analytic level, the latter particularly devoted to identifying the protein associable with infectivity.
The unexpected cropping up of BSE and all the aspects still to be explained on these neurological disorders have caused a necessary consideration to be given to the problem, especially by those ~ -involved in the preparation of products that derive from bovine material.
It could, in fact, not be enough to use, for obtaining compounds or their mixtures oS
pharmaceutical interest, raw material certified for food use. Consequently, it is necessary to develop the process of production of the products in -question by using extraction methodologies that guarantee the elimination of the protein associated with infectivity and the infectivity itself. It is obvious that the process of extraction of the infectively active fraction should, at the same time, preserve the biological activity of the active -principles desired as final product.

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. - ,. . , . . , , , . : .. . :, 2087 ~8 12 The other potentially dangerous protein at the level of these preparations for man is the myelinic basic protein (MBP).
It is a protein that in man and most vertebrates has a molecular wei~ht (MW) of about 19.5 kd. It is present in three molecular forms in human myelin and in six in that of the mouse, coding by a single gene located on chromosome 18 and it constitutes about 30% of the total myelinic protein.
Its exact topographical location is not yet certain.
It has been observed in the cytoplasm of oligodendrocytes only at the moment of myelinization. A protein considered identical is present in the peripheral nervous system (protein Pl), and the ability of peripheral myelin to induce experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) in laboratory animals is due to it. - ' Not all the molecule of MBP is encephalitogenic but only a portion that varies from species to - , species: in the rabbit the encephalitogenic portion , , is amino acid fragment 64-73, in the Lewis rat 71-85, in the guinea pig 113-121, in the SJL/J mouse ~- ' 89-169. The EAE is a typical cell-dependent , , autoimmune disea9e; indeed, it is transferable from one animal to another by infusion of the sensitized T lymphocytes and not by infusion of serum. In this case, the disease is supported by transfused lymphocytes and not tho,se of the recipient. Another cell-dependent autoimmune form is allergic experimental neuritis (EAN). It too can be induced in all species of higher vertebrates by inoculation ''' of crude homogenate of peripheral myelin in complete Freund's adjuvant. It is considered that the antigen mainly responsible for this autoimmunization is protein P2, with an MW of 12.0 kd, present in the peripheral nervous system.

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W092/2~95 2 0 8 715 8 PCT/EP91/~918 Another contaminant to be considered in these preparations is bovine genomic DNA. The possibility of being able to produce, by recombinant DNA
technology, biologically active proteins, which can be used as pharmaceutical agents, has made it necessary ~o analyze the final products for the presence of DNA residues, belonging to the cell -where the desired protein is expressed. The presence of DNA fragments in pharmaceutical preparations to be used in man poses the problem of the danger of an incorporation in the genome of these fragments with a possible uncontrolled transfer of genetic type information. Even though it is not yet possible to obtain gan-gliosides by recombinant DNA technology, it is necessary to apply this type of control analytical technology to extraction products that use raw material of animal origin.
Finally, the gangliosides to be used in vitro ; ~;
and in vivo studies should be free from other compounds such as asialogangliosides and glycocerebrosides. These substances, if present in high concentrations, can have important immunological implications and can also lead to erroneous experimental considerations.
The sudden onset of BSE and all the other aspects still to be clarified on these neurological disorders have caused necessary consideration to be given to the probIem, especially by those involved in the preparation of products deriving from bovine material.
Earlier processes for preparation of gangliosides, such as cited above, required the product to be pharmaceutically acceptable, free from those biological contaminants which were known at the time to be potentially damaging to the health.
But clearly, the subsequent onset of the aforesaid .:, " -:~

W092/2~9~ PCT/EP91/00918 2 ~87 ~8 14 pathology in adult cattle has made it necessary to obtain an active principle which, without losing the aforesaid therapeutic properties, is characterized by the assured absence of non-con~entional viral agents, to be achieved by the use of specific processes to guarantee the inactivation of these non-conventional viral agents and the complete elimination of infectivity, and to use specific methodologies by which to identify such agents.
Indeed, it may not be enough to use raw material which has been certified as suitable for consumption, to obtain compounds or mixtures of the same for pharmaceutical purposes. Obviously, the onset of BSE must be assessed by taking into account lS its biological action in vivo, which must be considered as an example of verification of the various phases of the process, but not as a summary of the same. This analysis of the biological action in vL~o is necessary since scientists are not yet in agreement over associating the infection with certain proteins such as PrP2730. Clearly, the extraction process which eliminates infectious activity must at the same time leave the biological activity of the active principle intact, since this i8 essential for its therapeutic use. (Ad hoc working party on biotechnology/pharmacy: Validation of virus removal and inactivation process.
Commission of the European Communities, March 1990).
Scientific research has produced, on the one hand, methods which guarantee suitable mixtures of gangliosides or their single fractions to be obtained in forms free from protein, chemical and biological contaminants, and on the other hand, methods with demonstrated efficacy in destroying infectivity associated with slow viruses, but no method is known by which it is possible to obtain, also on an industrial scale, the similarly unknown , '~`~ ~ : ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' . . ' ' ' ' W092/2~95 2 0 8 71 ~ 8 PCT/EP91/00918 result of a product, as desired, pure, pharmacologically active product, free from infectivity associable with pathogenic agents definable as slow viruses.

Brief Description of the Drawings Figure l is a schematic diagram of the process of the invention.
Figure 2 is a photograph showing results obtained by the use of anti-Prp2,30 antibodies by the Western Blot technique to analyze some samples taken from intermediate passages of the process of the !
invention.
Figure 3 is a photograph showing results of the analysis of bovine genomic DNA on some samples taken ~ -from various passages of the process of the invention.
Figure 4 is a photograph of the results obtained by the use of anti-NBP antibodies in the Western Blot technique to analyze some samples taken from intermediate passages of the process of the invention.
Figure S is a photograph of the results of -silica gel chromatography analysis of the ganglioaide mlxture prepared according to the process of the invention.
Figure 6 is a photograph showing the biological activity of the ganglioside mixture prepared according to the invention.
Figure 7 is a photograph showing the results of immunochemical analysis with anti-PrP2,30 antibodies of samples taken from intermediate passages of the process of the invention.

Detailed ~escri~tion of the Invention -The aim of the present invention is to s~pply a product characterized by the absence of slow viruses . . .

W092/2~95 PCT/EP91/~918 20~7 ~8 16 obtained by an advantageous process which can be applied to industrial production, and a process, the innovativeness of which is founded on the suitable sequencing of its various extraction phases. This process which eliminates during its various phases infectious contaminants associable with slow viruses such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, allows the activity of the mixture, which represents the therapeutic activity of the product itself, to remain unaltered. The product deriving from this process is constituted by a definite mixture of gangliosides or single fractions obtained from bovine brain or parts of the same.
The process according to the present invention is composed, for the above reasons, of the following --main phases:
a) subjecting bovine brain tissue to lipid elimination in acetone;
b) suspension of an acetone precipitate in an mixture of methylene chloride/methanol/sodium hydroxide at a temperature of between 30-C and 35-C
for at least 3 hours to partition hydrophobic and hydrophilic substances;
c) solubilization of the precipitate with water/chloroform/methanol and a strong base, such as an hydroxide of an alkali metal, pre~erably sodium hydroxide (pH 12) by heating to between 38-C and 43-C for 4 to 8 hours;
- d) solubilization of the precipitate with a strong base, such as an hydroxide of an alkali metal, preferably sodium hydroxide lN, at room --temperature for at least one hour; and e) neutralization and dialysis of the solution containing the ganglioside mixture through a membrane with a MW cutoff of at least 10 kd.
Hereafter, for the purpose of illustration and not limitation, examples are described of W092/2~95 2 ~ ~ 7 t S ~ PCT/EP91/00918 preparations made from infected bovine brains where the spongiform encephalopathy form was encountered or from protein raw materials obtained from uninfected bovine brains to which are added constant amounts of infected material from the 263X scrapie strain.

Materials and Methods The bovine brains used in the process for extraction of the ganglioside mixture showed, on histological analysis, fibrils typical to tissues belonging to materials from animals with the infection.
' -Pre~aration ExamDles Exam~le l ~-A diagram of the preparation process is shown in Figure l.
lO00 grams of infected bovine brain, ground and suspended in distilled water, were left in contact with 3-lO liters of acetone (ratio 1:5 ~-weight/volume) for about 3 hours at room temperature under stirring. The solution was then centrifuged at 6000 x g at a temperature of between 7-C and 4-C
until precipitation was complete. The solvent was then eliminated and at least lO volumes of a mixture of methylene chloride/methanol and a solution of sodium hydro~ide (40:20:1.5) was added to the wet powder placed in a suitable glass container and was left again under magnetic stirring for at least three hours at a temperature of between 30-C and 35-C. It was finally left to cool and then was centrifuged ~or 20 minutes at 6000 x g at +lO-C.
The liquid phase was filtered through a filtering funnel at a temperature of +4-C. Acetone (0.3-0.6 v/v) in the presence of a solution of calcium -ehloride was added to the liquid, it was left under . ~ . . ... . . . . .

W092/2~95 PCT/EP91/~918 08~ ~8 18 stirring for about 30 minutes and centrifuged at 6000 x g at +10-C. The precipitate (raw material 1) was finally allowed to dry overnight and then for 5 hours in a high vacuum. Recovered raw material 1 was resuspended in a mixture of chloroform/methanol/
water in volume at a concentration of not less than 20 mg/ml. The pH was adjusted to around 12 with 5N
NaOH. The whole was heated to b,etween 38- and 43-C
from 4 to 8 hours and left under stirring. At the --end, after being allowed to cool, it was neutralized with 6N HC1 and at least one volume of a mixture of chlorofor~/n-butanol/water (75:25:7) in volume was added. It was stirred for 15 to 30 minutes and left to stand for between 2 and 4 hours. Finally, the lower organic phase was discarded, and after the addition of sodium chloride, the product was precipitated from the remaining aqueous phases with acetone (2-5 v/v), they were stirred for about 30 , minutes and centrifuged for 20 minutes at 6000 x g at +15-C (raw material 2).
The product was dried in a high vacuum, resuspended in absolute methanol at a concentration of between 10 and 50 mg/ml and then kept hot for about 2 hours while stirring the solution from time to time. The suspension was then qu~ckly centrifuged at 6000 x g and the supernatant was placed in a freezer for about 2 hours. The opalescent white solution was then centrifuged at O-C at 600 x g and the precipitate was dried in a high vacuum. The product was gathered in lN sodium hydroxide at a concentration between 50 and 300 mg/ml and left in contact with the solution for at least 1 hour at room temperature. Finally, the pH
of the suspension was brought to an approximate pH
value of 9 and dialysed with a membrane having a MM
cutoff of at least 10 kd against a suitable volume of distilled water. An amount of 2.5-3 gr/liter of , - :

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W092/20695 2 0 8 71~ 8 PCT/EP91/~918 sodium chloride was added to the suspension which was then precipitated with at least 9 volumes of acetone. The suspension was centrifuged at +5 J C at 6000 x g, and then dried in a high vacuum (finished product). The sample was taken up in 10 mM of phosphate buffer pH 7.2 and sterilized at +121-C for 30 minutes (finished, sterilized product).
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Evaluation of Process:
As explained above, an important aspect of the process of the invention is the provision of a ganglioside product which is free of undesirable contaminants, particularly free of non-conventional viruses. To evaluate the process, samples at various stages of the procedure were tested for possible contamination.
The procedure and results for biological/clinical testing are as follows: ~ -:
~ioloaical test for scraDie:
The animals used in these experiments were Golden Syrian hamsters (LVG/Lak). Tests for infection were carried out on groups of four weaned, female animals which had received intracerebral -~i.c.) inoculation with 0.05 ml of the samples diluted ten times in sterile PBS. The intracerebral inoculations were effected by trained staff using disposable glass syringes with 26G, 3/8-inch sterile needles. -The final, sterilized product, concentrated 20 times, was used entirely as follows:
4.0 ml injected intracerebrally in 40 animals. -:

3.0 ml diluted 1:20 and injected, undiluted, intracerebrally in 50 animals and i.p. in 22 animals. The volume injected i.p.
was 2.5 ml. , .
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W092~20695 PCT/EP91/00918 2087 ~5~ 20 -The animals were examined twice a week or more, for a period of 12 months, for the onset of the characteristic neurological, clinical symptoms. The onset of early symptoms in each animal was recorded, and the animals were sacrificed when the disease was well established. ~heir brains were divided in two halves, one ~ixed in 10% formalin and the other preserved at -70-C. Pathological diagnosis was made in all animals which died of suspect causes and those which had shown signs of neurological disorders. At the end of the observation time, all surviving animals were sacrificed and pathological assessment was made of their brains.
The infective titer was calculated at the "final end point" according to the method of Reed and Munch, and is expressed as log LDsO/ml.
The samples tested were the following, utilizing names for the products as noted in Figure 1:
All samples were resuspended in sterile PBS in the following volumes, so calculated as to ensure a homogeneous titer per volume compared to the 16.7%
w/v homogenate as the starting material:

Powdered brain ml 2.0 brain homogenate 16.7% w/v, undiluted Raw material l ml 5.4 undiluted Raw material 2 ml 9.7 undiluted Finished product ml 14.4 undiluted Finished, sterile ml 7.0 concsntrated 20 product times ~ -Results of the biological/clinical tests are set forth in Table l. -~

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET - ~
:

W092/2069~ PCT/EP91/~918 20 87 ~58 2~ ~

All animals which had shown clinical signs of scrapie and all animals still surviving at the end of the one-year monitoring time were included into the study. Animals which had been put down because of accidents and/or poor health, and those which had died of causes unrelated to scrapie or which had been killed for meat, not having shown any clinical signs of the disease, were not included.
The "sample" column reports the number of animals injected at the beginning of the experiment and the cage number, which distinguishes the different samples and dilutions. The "sick" column reports the number of animals which showed clinical signs of scrapie/number of animals injected minus number of animals which died of causes unrelated to scrapie.

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SUBSTITUTE SHEET
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W092/20695 2 0 8 71 5 8 PCT/EP91/~918 Additional Evaluations:
Determination of scrapie protein PrP is made by polyclonal antibodies specific for the purified protein analog from murine brain and which cross-react with the scrapie PrP of bovine origin. The Western Blot method was used for the determination.
The presence of the scrapie PrP was evaluated by comparison with the standards for proteins with various molecular weights.
Determination of the NBP protein was made by polyclonal antibodies specific for the purified protein analog from bovine cerebral tissue. The method used for the determination is that of the ~estern Blot. The presence of the MBP was evaluated by comparison with the standard of proteins with various molecular weights.
Determination of the bovine genomic DNA was performed by the DOT BLOT technique on samples taken - at different phases of the processing according to :
the method known to those s~illed in the art. To consider the sample valid, the presence of spots should not be noted in the depositions of the -heterologous DNA. The absence of spots in the - -samples examined in the radioautography shows the absence of bovine genomic DNA.
Figure 2 shows the resuits determined by ;
immunochemlcal analysis with anti-PrP2730 antibodies of samples coming from some intermediate stages of the ganglioside preparation and purification '~
process. The num~er codes of the analyzed samples corresponds to the numbers in parentheses given in the purification diagram of Figure 1.
Lane 1: code 1 sample Lane 2: code 2 sample Lane 3: code 3 sample Lane 4: code 4 sample -Lane 5: code 5 sample ' ~i;UBST~TUTE SHEET

W092t20695 PCT/~Pg1/~918 2087 ~ 8 2 Lane 6: finished product Lane 7: protein with standard MW (downward the kd's are as follows: 97~4, 66.2, 4~.0, 31.0, 21.5) Bands with asterisk refer to nonspecific cross-reactions attributable to the system of amplification of the assay.
Figure 3 shows the analysis of bovine genomic DNA by the DOT BLOT technique on samples taken from various passages of the process.
Intersection of letters with numbers indicates:
Standard curves lA-7A bovine DNA (l mg) lB-7B bovine DNA (l ng)-lC-7C bovine DNA (l00 pg) lD-7D bovine DNA (l0 pg) lE-7E bovine DNA (l pg) lF-7F bovine DNA (0 pg) Samples examined 20 2A-2F code l sample ~ -2B code 2 sample 2C code 3 sample ' 2D code 5 sample 2E code 6 sample 25 3A crude 3 sample 3B finished product 3C finished, sterilized product The points of the standard curve and the analyzed samples are given in duplicate.
Figure 4 reports results of immunochemical analysis with anti-MBP antibodies of samples coming from some intermediate passages of the preparation and purification process. The code of the samples corresponds to the numerals indicated in the purification diagram of Figure l.
Lane l: code l sample Lane 2: code 2 sample SUBSTITUTE S~EET

.i ,. . ` `, .. ; .,.`, ..... ... . . ,. . . . . .. - . . .. ' . . ` . ... ` -W092/20695 2 0 8 71 5 ~ PCT/EP91/~918 Lane 3: code 3 sample Lane 4: code 4 sample -Lane 5: code 5 sample (raw material 1) Lane 6: crude 2 sample Lane 7: code 6 sample Lane 8: crude 3 code sample Lane 9: finished product Lane 10: finished, sterilized product The various forms of MBP recognized by the polyclonal antibodies used are in parentheses.
Figure 5 shows the results of chromatography on silica gel of the following samples (also according to the process outlined in Figure 1):
Lane 1: finished, sterilized product Lane 2: finished product , Lane 3: standard of trisialoganglioside GTlb Lane 4: standard of disialoganglioside GDlb Lane 5: standard of disialoganglioside GDl, Lane 6: standard of monosialoganglioside GMl Figure 6 is an example photograph to show the biological activity of the ganglioside mixture prepared according to the inven~ions (the arrows indicate the sprouting) on a peripheral nerve.
Figure 7 shows results of immunochemical analysis w~th anti-PrP2730 antibodies of samples -taXen from some intermediate passages of ganglioside -purification and preparation processes. The code of the analyzed samples corresponds to the numerals indicated in the purification diagram of Figure 1.
Lane 1: solution of raw material 1 to which has been added 1.5 micrograms/ml of PrP
Lane 2: raw material 2 code sample Lane 3: code 6 sample La~e 4: raw material 3 code sample Lane 5: finished product Lane 6: finished, sterilized product .

~;UBSTITUTE SHFET

W092/2~95 PCT/EP91/~918 20~ 8 2~
Example 2 Preparation of a clarified homo~enate from infected brains Four hamster brains, infected with the 263 X
scrapie strain, corresponding to a net weight of 3.9 g, were homogenized in 10 ml of distilled water.
The volume was then brought to 15.5 ml in order to obtain a homogenate of 25% w/v. The suspension was centrifuged for 40 minutes at 1800 x g at 4-C: 7.5 ml of supernatant were recovered, divided into aliquots and kept at -70-C until use.

pre~aration of the samDles 5 ml of the infected homogenate, 120 ml of methylene chloride/methanol 2:1 in volume and 0.71 ml of 5.7 N sodium hydroxide were added to 10 g of ~ -acetone powder of bovine brains. This addition was made in order to keep the total volume of the aqueous phase in the solvent constant and to obtain the most suitable operative conditions. The final ~ -titer of the starting solution was 1% w/v. The suspension was magnetically.stirred for 3 hours at a temperature of 33-C. It was then cooled and centrifuged for 20 minutes at 6000 x g at 10-C. The liquid phase was filtered through a Gooch funnel (pore size No. 3) at a temperature of +4'C to avoid evaporation of the solvents; at the end of this stage 78 ml of liquid phase were recovered. A 2 ml aliquot was retained for biological assays. To both -aliquots acetone was added in the presence of a solution of calcium chloride, and after being magneticalIy stirred for about 30 minutes at room temper~ture, the samples were centrifuged for 10 minutesiat 6000 x g at 10-C. The precipitate (raw material 1) was dried in a hood overnight and then for 2 hours in high vacuum. One aliquot was kept at -70- for the purposes of biological assay.

~' ' ' -SUBSTITUTE SHEET :: -:
W092/2069~ 2 0 8 71~ 8 PCT/EP91/~918 2~
The 925 mg of raw material 1 recovered from the reaction container were resuspended in 18.5 ml of a mixture of chloroform/methanol/water and 0.74 ml of the homogenate to obtain a titer of 1% w/v. The pH
was adjusted to an approximate value of 12 (assessed with a litmus paper) adding 5N NaOH, and the mixture was magnetically stirred at 40 C for 6 hours. After cooling to room temperature, the solution was ;
neutralized with 6N HC1 and an aliquot of 250 ~l was -retained for the purposes of biological assay.
Both aliquots were treated with at least 1 volume of a mixture of chloroform/n-butanol/water (75:25:7) in volume, and after stirring for 15 minutes they were left to stand for 4 hours.
Finally, the lower organic phases were discarded.
Sodium chloride is added and then the product is precipitated from the remaining a~ueous phases with acetone (2-5 v/v) and, after magnetic stirring at room temperature for about 30 minutes, they were centrifuged for 10 minutes at 6000 x g at 15-C ~raw ;
material 2).
This product was dried in high vacuum and the aliguot set aside for biological assay was preserved at -70-C. The remaining material was resuspended in 6.5 ml of absolute methanol and left at 50'C for 2 hours and stirred from time to time. The suspension was quickly centrifuged at 6000 x g and the supernatant placed in a freezer at -20-C for 2 hours. The cold, white, opalescent solution was then centrifuged at 0-C at 6000 x g for 5 minutes and the precipitate was dried in high vacuum. The yield at this point was 6 mg of product. This was then resuspended in 500 ~l of sodium hydroxide, 460 ~l of distilled water and 40 ~l of homogenate and left in contact with this solution for 1 hour at room temperature. Finally, the pH of the suspension was adjusted to an approximate value of 9 (assessed :
SUE~STITUTE SHEET

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~ 0 8~ 2s with litmus paper) and dialysed with a membrane having a MW cut off of at least 10 kd for 4 hours against 20000 volumes of distilled water. The final volume after dialysis was 980 ~l. It was divided into two aliquots of 500 ~l and 480 ~l respectively;
to the first was added 2.5-3 gr/l of sodium chloride and it was then precipitated with at least 9 volumes of acetone and then centrifuged for 10 minutes at 6000 x g at 5-C. This sample was dried in high vacuum (final product).
To the second aliguot was added 20 ~1 of homogenate and 50 ~l of PBS lOx and it was sterilized at 121-C for 30 minutes (final, sterilized product).

Evaluation of the Process:
As described above for Example 1, samples taken from the various stages of the process were tested for potential presence of contaminants.
The samples tested and results are as follows:
A11 of the samples were gathered in sterile PBS
in the following volumes, so calculated as to ensure a homogeneous titer per volume compared to the 1%
homogenate w/v as the starting material:

SUBSTI~U~ $HEI~r : ,:
.

W092/20695 2 0 8 71 ~ 8 PCT/EPgl/00918 ~ .

Brain homogenate undiluted susp .
25% w/v diluted to 1~
Raw material 1 ml 3.2 undiluted Raw material 2 ml 1.0 undiluted Finished product ml 0.5 undiluted Finished, sterilized ml 0.5 undiluted product .

Table 2 reports the results,obtained by biological assay.

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:, .` ', .;' ! ' ", " ; ' W092/2~95 2 0 8 71~ ~ PCT/EP91/~918 All animals which had shown clinical signs of scrapie and all animals still surviving at the end of the one year monitoring time were included into the study. Animals which had been put down because of accidents and/or poor health, and those which had died of causes unrelated to scrapie or which had been killed for meat, not having shown any clinical signs of the disease, were not included.
The "sample" column reports the number of animals injected at the beginning of the experiment and the cage number, which distinguishes the different samples and dilutions. The "sick" column reports the number of animals which showed clinical signs of scrapie/number of animals injected minus number of animals which died of causes unrelated to scrapie.

SUBSTITUTE SHEFT

- . . ` . . . ~ ~. . -.. . . . .

2087 ~8 3~
Example 3 Biolo~ical activity of ~anglioside mixture A series of experiments was carried out in vitro in order to verify whether the ganglioside mixture (obtained according to the aforesaid process) possessed any biological activity predictive of therapeutic application to treat pathologies of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and of the central nervous system (CNS). In particular, the activity of gangliosides was tested in vitro to assess neurite formation in cultures of neuroblastoma cells (N2A). These cells, as described in literature tDenis - Donini et al., Neuronal Development, part II, 323:348 - Academic Press, NY
1980; Leon et al., Dev. Neurosci. 5:108, 1982) may induce, in certain conditions, the expression of various functions characteristic of mature neurons, thus allowing a qualitative and quantitative analysis of biochemical parameters correlated with each stage of development.
Therefore, the assessments made in this model (% of cells with neurite formation, neurite length ~
and relative branching) are valid instruments when --investigating the possible therapeutic application of a drug in functional recovery of the nervous system.
; .
Materials and Methods Cell çultures Mouse C 1300 cells, clone N2A, supplied by America Ce}l Type Collection (Bethesda, Maryland), were plated at a concentration of lO,000 cells per well (24-castor) in the presence of Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium (DMEM) containing P/G (lO0 U.penicillin/ml) and 10% fetal calf serum (FCS from Seromed, batch 4-C04).

SUBSTITUTE SHEET
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W092/2~95 2 V ~ 715 8 PCT/EP91/~918 The next day the culture medium was changed with the same volume of fresh medium containing gangliosides (see further). The cultures were kept at 37C in 5% Co2 in a humidified atmosphere (Haerus incubator). The cultures were then fixed with 2%
- glutaraldehyde at the appointed time (24 hours later).

Pre~aration of the test solutions of the product The ganglioside mixture (3 different batches, Nos. 1-2-3) was dissolved in chloroform/methanol 2:1, dried in a stream of nitrogen, resuspended in DMEM + P/G + 10% FCS until the desired concentrations were reached.
Concentrations examined: l x lO-~M; 5 x 10-~
and 1 x 10-5M.
. Four different experiments were carried out as follows:
- 3 experiments to assess the effect of ganglioside mixture (batch Nos. 1 and 2) at a concentration of 1 x 10-~M
- 1 experiment to assess the dose-response effect of different concentrations (1 x 10-', 5 x 10-5 and 1 x 10-5M3 of the ganglioside mixture under examination ~;
(batch No. 3).

Process The medium was drawn off the wells and substituted with 350 ~l of D~EM ~ P/G I 10% FCS _ product under examination (at the aforesaid concentrations).
The control cultures were treated in the same way, without the addition of the ganglioside mixture. The cultures were then kept in an ~
; incubator for 24 hours, after which the cells were --SUBSTITUTE SI~EET

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W092/2~95 PCT/EPgl/~918 ~o~7~ 34 fixed with 2% glutaraldehyde and observed under a microscope.

Parameters Morphological examination set out to assess:
- the percentage (%) of ce}ls with neurites - length of neurites and relative branching.

Results As reported in Table 3, it is clear that the products under examination are efficacious (1 x lO-~M) in inducing the formation of neurites in N2A
cells.
The effect of the ganglioside mixture is dose-dependent with maximum efficacy at the dose of 1 x 10-~M (Tab. 4).

Tab~e 3 Effect of ganglioside mixture (batches 1, 2) on : i .
neurite formation in mouse neuroblastoma N2A cells.
All products were added to the cells at a final concentration of 1 x 10-'M, morpho}ogical evaluations were made 24 hours later.
.. _.. _ , .
Product _ % of cells with neuri~es _ 1st exD. 2nd exp. 3rd exD.
Control 2 + 1 1 + 1 2 + 2 ~
GA (1) 29 + 6 2 7 + 6 2 4 + 5 .
GA ( 2 ) 2 5 + 4 2 5 + 2 2 5 + 5 . ,: , (batch No in brackets) . .

. ' - ' ' .
. ' ' ' ~asrlT~TE ~;HE~
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W092/20695 2 0 8 7 1 ~ 8 PCT/EP91/00918 Table 4 Effect of different concentrations of ganglioside mixture (batch 3) on neurite formation in mouse neuroblastoma N2A cells; dose-effect response.

Product concentration % cells with neurites .. . _ .. ..
Control 3 + 2 GA (3) 1 x 10-4 35 + 6 GA (3) 5 x 105 17 + 5 GA (3) 1 x 10-~ 4 + 2 -:~

(batch No. in brackets) .:

Statistical assessment of data on the biological activity in vitro indicates that there is . .
no significant difference between the various batohec o~ ganglioside nixture (Table 5).

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' 50,000 u~ . . ..
.~ 40,000 ~ 30,000 ~20,000 _ o10,000, ' OIP , ,:
0000 _ .:
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Sample ~-.~" ~-., --Table 5 :~
Overall statistical assessment of data obtained with batches 1 and 2. The values reported are the means of 9 independent tests ~ S.D. ::

Moreover, morphological assessment of the neurites shows that the cells treated with .-ganglioside ~ixture present long, notably branched neurites (i.e. marked~branchingj.
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UBSriTU rE SHEi~

W092/20695 2 0 8 71~ 8 PCT/EPg1/~918 Conclusions The aforesaid observations, therefore, affirm that the ganglioside mixture under examination has a biological activity, indeed, the product obtained, ~y a process which guarantees its particular - characteristics, can induce neurite formation in N2A
cells. This fact indicates that the product is efficacious in repair phenomena of the peripheral and central nervous systems. The mixture of gangliosides, obtained as described and free from contaminants associated with potentially dangerous non-conventional viruses, can also be used for the preparation of individual components or the ganglioside mixture, such as monosialoganglioside GM1.
In view of the pharmacological properties described above, the ganglioside mixture can be generally used as a drug in numerous pathologies (with various etiopathogenic causes) in both the peripheral and central nervous systems. Specific conditions which can be trea*ed are: retrobulbar optic neuritis, paralysis of the oculomotor nerves, trigeminal neuralgia, paralysis of the facial nerve and Bell's palsy, Garcin's syndrome, radiculitis, traumatic lesions of the peripheral nerves, diabetic and alcoholic polyneuritis, obstetrical paralysis, paralytic sciatica, motor neuron diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, myelopathic muscular atrophy, progressive bulbar paralysis, myasthenia gravis and Lambert Eaton's syndrome, muscular dystrophy, impairments in synaptic nerve transmission in the CNS and PNS, consciousness de~iciencies such as confusion, concussion, thrombosis, cerebral embolism, cerebral and spinal trauma.
Administration is usually by injection, intramuscular, subcutaneous or intravenous, or by ~l~B~TITWTE ~

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W092/20695 PCT/EP91/~918 2o87~58 3~ ;
transdermal, pulmonary or oral routes, preferably in suitably buffered a~ueous solutions. Safe storage of the pharmaceutical can be ensured by preparing it in the form of vials containing solutions of the product, possibly together with other auxillary ingredients, as indicated in the examples of pharmaceutical preparations reported hereafter. For the therapeutic, or possibly also preventive application by the aforesaid parenteral route, the dosage varies preferably between 10 mg and lOO
mg/day of active substance.
For purely descriptive and not limitative purposes, the following are examples of pharmaceutical compositions made according to the present invention.
.
Exam~le 1 One vial is composed as follows: ;
Active ComDonent - Gangliosides as sodium saltsl0.0 mg _ monosialotetrahexosylganglioside (GMl) - disialotetrahexosylganglioside (GDl.) - -- disialotetrahexosylganglioside (GDlb) - trisialotetrahexosylganglioside (G~lb) Other com~onents - dibasic sodium phosphate 12 H2O 6.0 mg - monobasic sodium phosphate 2 H20 0.5 mg - sodium chloride 16.0 mg - water for injection to 2.0 ml .. ,~ ~ .. . .
Exam~le 2 One vial is composed as follows:
Active com~onent - Gangliiosides as sodium salts20.0 mg - monosialotetrahexosylganglioside (GMl) - disialotetrahexosylganglioside (GDl,) -~ -- disialotetrahexosylganglioside (GD~b) ':
$UBSTIT~JTE SHEET -;-- . . . . .. ':

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W092/20695 2 0 ~ 715 8 PCTtEP91/00918 - trisialotetrahexosylganglioside (GTlb) Other comDonents - dibasic sodium phosphate 12 H2O 6.0 mg - monobasic sodium phosphate 2 ~2 0.5 mg - sodium chloride 16.0 mg - water for injection to 2.0 ml Exam~le 3 , : -One vial is composed as follows:
Active com~onent - Gangliosides as sodium salts100.0 mg - monosialotetrahexosylganglioside (GM1) .
- disialotetrahexosylganglioside (GDl,) , . ' - disialotetrahexosylganglioside (GD~b) - trisialotetrahexosylganglioside (GT~b) . :
15 Other comDonents - dibasic sodium phosphate 12 H2O 12.0 mg - monobasic sodium phosphate 2 H2O 1.0 mg - sodium chloride 32.0 mg - water for injection to 4.0 ml ~ . .
The invention being thus described, it,will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. ,' Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure ~rom the spixit and scope o~ the ' invention, and all such modi~ications,as would be obvious to,one skilled in the art are intended to be included within th- sFope oi' the ~ollowLng claias.

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Claims (32)

Claims

1. A process for the preparation of a mixture of gangliosides which comprises:
a) subjecting ganglioside-containing tissue to lipid elimination with acetone to produce an acetone precipitate;
b) suspending said acetone precipitate in a first solvent mixture capable of partitioning hydrophobic substances from hydrophilic substances;
c) filtrating said partitioning mixture to obtain a first liquid phase;
d) subjecting said first liquid phase to precipitation to obtain a first raw material;
e) solubilizing said first raw material and subjecting the solubilized first raw material to heating at a pH of about 12;
f) subjecting said heated solubilized first raw material to a second partitioning in a second solvent mixture capable of partitioning hydrophobic substances from hydrophilic substances;
g) separating said second partitioning mixture to remove an organic phase and retain an aqueous phase;
h) subjecting said aqueous phase to precipitation to produce a second raw material;

i) solubilizing said second raw material which is subjected to cooling to produce a third raw material;
j) solubilizing said third raw material in a strong base;
k) neutralizing said solubilized third raw material; and l) subjecting said neutralized solubilized third raw material to dialysis through a membrane with a molecular weight cut off of at least about 10kd to produce a ganglioside mixture.

2. A process according to claim 1, wherein said first solvent mixture is a mixture of methylene chloride, methanol and sodium hydroxide.

3. A process according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said first solvent mixture containing said acetone precipitate is heated at about 30 to 35-C
for at least about 3 hours.

4. A process according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein said precipitation of said first raw material is conducted by adding calcium chloride and acetone.

5. A process according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein said heating of said first raw material is conducted at about 38 to 43-C for about 4 to 8 hours.

6. A process according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein said first raw material is solubilized in a mixture of water, chloroform and methanol, and, after said heating, then said second solvent mixture is added comprised of a mixture of water, chloroform and n-butanol.

7. A process according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein precipitation of said second raw material is conducted by adding acetone and sodium chloride.

8. A process according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein said solubilization of said second raw material is in methanol.

9. A process according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein said solubilization of said third raw material is in lN sodium hydroxide.

10. A process according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein said ganglioside-containing tissue is bovine brain tissue.

11. A process according to any one of claims 1-10, wherein said produced ganglioside mixture is subjected to drying to produce a finished product ganglioside mixture.

12. A process according to claim 11, wherein said finished product ganglioside mixture is suspended in buffer and sterilized to produce a finished, sterilized ganglioside mixture product.

13. A process for the preparation of a mixture of ganglosides which comprises:
a) subjecting bovine brain tissue to lipid elimination with acetone to produce an acetone precipitate;
b) suspending said acetone precipitate in a first solvent mixture of methylene, methanol and sodium hydroxide;

c) filtrating said first solvent mixture containing said acetone precipitate to obtain a first liquid phase;
d) subjecting said first liquid phase to precipitation by addition of calcium chloride to obtain a first raw material;
e) solubilizing said first raw material in water, chloroform and methanol, and subjecting the solubilized first raw material to heating at a pH of about 12 and a temperature of about 38 to 43°C for at least about 4 to 8 hours;
f) subjecting said heated solubilized first raw material to a second partitioning in a mixture of water, n-butanol and chloroform;
g) separating said second partitioning mixture to remove an organic phase and retain an aqueous phase;
h) subjecting said aqueous phase to precipitation by the addition of acetone and sodium chloride and centrifugation to produce a second raw material;
i) solubilizing and heating said second raw material in methanol:
j) centrifuging said solubilized and heated second raw material to produce a supernatant;
k) cooling said supernatant to produce a third raw material:
l) solubilizing said third raw material in sodium hydroxide for about one hour;
m) neutralizing said solubilized third raw material; and n) subjecting said neutralized solubilized third raw material to dialysis through a membrane with a molecular weight cut off of at least about 10kd to produce a ganglioside mixture.

14. A process according to claim 13, wherein said solubilization of said third raw material is in lN sodium hydroxide.

15. A process according to any one of claims 13-14, wherein said ganglioside-containing tissue is bovine brain tissue.

16. A process according to any one of claims 13-15, wherein said produced ganglioside mixture is subjected to drying to produce a finished product ganglioside mixture.

17. A process according to claim 16, wherein said finished product ganglioside mixture is suspended in buffer and sterilized to produce a finished, sterilized ganglioside mixture product.

18. A ganglioside mixture prepared according to any one of claims 1-17.

19. A ganglioside mixture prepared according to any one of claims 1-17 which comprises a mixture of gangliosides GM1, GD1a, GD1b and GT1b.

20. A ganglioside mixture according to claim 19, which comprises about 18-24% of GM1, 36-44% of GD1a 12-18% of GD1b and 16-22% of GT1b.

21. A process according to any one of claims 1-17, which further comprises separating the ganglioside mixture into individual ganglioside components.

22. A process according to claim 21, wherein the ganglioside GM1 is separated from the ganglioside mixture.

23. A preparation comprising ganglioside GM1 prepared according to claim 22.

24. A pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of pathologies of the peripheral and central nervous systems which comprises as an active ingredient an effective amount of a ganglioside product according to any one of claims 18-20 and 23, together with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or diluent.

25. Use of a ganglioside product according to any one of claims 18-20 and 23 in the treatment of pathologies of the peripheral and central nervous systems.

26. The product according to claim 18, which is free of contamination from unconventional viruses.

27. The product according to claim 19, which is free of contamination from unconventional Viruses.

28. The product according to claim 20, which is free of contamination from unconventional viruses.

29. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 24 for parenteral administration.

30. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 24 for transdermal administration.

31. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 24 for inhalation administration.

32. The pharmaceutical composition according to claim 24 for oral administration.