Method for Treating or Preventing a Functional Vitamin B12 Deficiency in an Individual and to Medical Compositions for Use in Said Method

Abstract

A method and medical composition for the treatment and/or prevention of a functional Vitamin B 12 deficiency in an individual that is brought about as a consequence of oxidative stress on biochemical pathways. The functional Vitamin B 12 deficiency may eventually present as dementia, other neuropsychiatric abnormality and/or vascular disease. The method involves the administration of a medical composition that supplies a cobalt-sulphur bond in the upper β-ligand of an intracellular cobalamin molecule thereby facilitating intracellular processing of cobalamin. The cobalt-sulphur bond may he provided directly by administration of a thiolatocohalamin, such as glutathianyl-cobalamin or indirectly by the co-administration of Vitamin B 12 (or a derivative thereof) with a sulphur-containing molecule, such as glutathione or a precursor thereof.

1 . A medical composition for treating or preventing a functional Vitamin B 12  deficiency, the composition comprising a thiolatocobalamin compound that directly supplies a cobalt-sulphur bond in the upper, β-axial ligand of an intracellular cobalamin molecule. 
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . A medical composition as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the thiolatocobalamin compound is glutathionylcobalamin. 
     
     
         4 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . A medical composition as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the thiolatocobalamin compound is selected from the group consisting of cysteinylcobalamin, cyclohexylthiolatocobalamin and pentafluorophenylthiolatocobalamin. 
     
     
         17 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method for treating or preventing a functional Vitamin B 12  deficiency in an individual that arises due to the effects of oxidative stress on B12 metabolism, the method comprising administering to the individual a therapeutically effective amount of a thiolatocobalamin compound that directly supplies a cobalt-sulphur bond in the upper β-ligand of an intracellular cobalamin. 
     
     
         22 . (canceled) 
     
     
         23 . A method as claimed in  claim 21  wherein the thiolatocobalamin is glutathionylcobalamin. 
     
     
         24 - 27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . A method as claimed in  claim 21  further comprising co-administering one or more additional compounds from the group consisting of cobalamin, glutathione, a glutathione precursor, folate, a folate derivative, vitamin B6, methyl-folate, S-adenosylmethionine, betaine, choline and carnitine. 
     
     
         29 - 32 . (canceled) 
     
     
         33 . A medical composition as claimed in  claim 1  further comprising one or more additional compounds from the group consisting of cobalamin, glutathione, a glutathione precursor, Vitamin B6, folate, folic acid, methyl-folate, S-adenosylmethionine, betaine, choline and carnitine. 
     
     
         34 . A method as claimed in  claim 21  wherein the thiolatocobalamin is selected from the group consisting of cysteinylcobalamin, cyclohexylthiolatocobalamin, and pentafluorophenylthiolatocobalamin. 
     
     
         35 . A method for treating an individual having a disease selected from the group consisting of Alzheimer's disease, age-related cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment, senile dementia, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, vascular dementia, depression, and vascular disease; wherein the disease has symptoms associated with a functional Vitamin B 12  deficiency; said method comprising administering to the individual a therapeutically effective amount of a thiolatocobalamin compound wherein the individual's intracellular processing of cobalamin increases after administering the composition or compositions, and the symptoms associated with the functional Vitamin B 12  deficiency improve. 
     
     
         36 . A method as claimed in  claim 35  wherein the thiolatocobalamin compound is selected from the group consisting of cysteinylcobalamin, glutathionylcobalamin, cyclohexylthiolatocobalamin, and pentafluorophenylthiolatocobalamin. 
     
     
         37 . A method as claimed in  claim 35  wherein the thiolatocobalamin compound is glutathionylcobalamin. 
     
     
         38 . A method as claimed in  claim 35  further comprising co-administering one or more additional compounds from the group consisting of cobalamin, glutathione, a glutathione precursor, Vitamin B6, folate, folic acid, methyl-folate, S-adenosylmethionine, betaine, choline and carnitine. 
     
     
         39 . A method as in  claim 35 , wherein the disease is age-related cognitive decline. 
     
     
         40 . A method as in  claim 35 , wherein the disease is senile dementia 
     
     
         41 . A method as in  claim 35 , wherein the disease is Alzheimer's disease. 
     
     
         42 . A method as in  claim 35 , wherein the disease is vascular dementia. 
     
     
         43 . A method as in  claim 35 , wherein the disease is mild cognitive impairment. 
     
     
         44 . A method as in  claim 35 , wherein the disease is chronic fatigue syndrome. 
     
     
         45 . A method as in  claim 35 , wherein the disease is multiple sclerosis. 
     
     
         46 . A method as in  claim 35 , wherein the disease is depression. 
     
     
         47 . A method as in  claim 35 , wherein the disease is vascular disease.