Hypoxia: targeting the tumour.

Solid tumours contain regions of very low oxygen concentrations that are said to be hypoxic. Hypoxia is a natural phenotype of solid tumours resulting from an imperfect vascular network. There are a number of consequences associated with tumour hypoxia including: resistance to ionising radiation, resistance to chemotherapy and the magnification of mutated p53.

Structure-activity studies on prolactin-releasing peptide (PrRP). Analogues of PrRP-(19-31)-peptide.

An investigation of a series of single replacement analogues of PrRP-(19-31)-peptide has shown that good functional activity was retained when Phe31 was replaced with His(Bzl), Phe(4Cl), Nle, Trp, Cys(Bzl) or Glu(OBzl); when Val28 or Ile25 was replaced with Phg; when Gly24 was replaced with D-Ala, L-Ala, Pro or Sar; when Ser22 was replaced with Gly and when Ala21 was replaced with Thr or MeAla. The results confirm that the functionally important residues are located within the carboxyl terminal segment, -Ile-Arg-Pro-Val-Gly-Arg-Phe-NH2.