Where it was generally thought that the smallest breakdown products of
proteins had no specific biological function on their own, it now emerges
that the body may utilize the normal process of proteolytic breakdown to
generate important compounds such as gene-regulatory or anti-tumor
compounds. Such anti-tumor compounds are useful for the treatment or
prevention of tumors and can be used as part of a pharmaceutical
composition. The invention provides a pharmaceutical composition for the
treatment of a subject suffering from or believed to be suffering from a
tumor, said pharmaceutical composition comprising: a therapeutically
effective amount of anti-tumor peptide or a functional analogue or
derivative thereof together with a pharmaceutically acceptable diluent,
wherein the peptide is preferably selected from the group VVC, LAG, AQG,
LQGV (SEQ ID NO:1), QVVC (SEQ ID NO:), MTRV (SEQ ID NO:6), AQGV (SEQ ID
NO:2), LAGV (SEQ ID NO:3), LQAV (SEQ ID NO:7), PGCP (SEQ ID NO:8), VGQL
(SEQ ID NO:9), RVLQ (SEQ ID NO:10), EMFQ (SEQ ID NO:11), AVAL (SEQ ID
NO:12), FVLS (SEQ ID NO:13), NMWD (SEQ ID NO:14), LCFL (SEQ ID NO:15),
FSYA (SEQ ID NO:16), FWVD (SEQ ID NO:17), AFTV (SEQ ID NO:18), LGTL (SEQ
ID NO:19), QLLG (SEQ ID NO:20), YAIT (SEQ ID NO:21), APSL (SEQ ID NO:22),
ITTL (SEQ ID NO:23), QALG (SEQ ID NO:24), GVLC (SEQ ID NO:25), NLIN (SEQ
ID NO:26), SPIE (SEQ ID NO:27), LNTI (SEQ ID NO:28), LHNL (SEQ ID NO:29),
CPVQ (SEQ ID NO:30), EVVR (SEQ ID NO:31), MTEV (SEQ ID NO:32), EALE (SEQ
ID NO:33), TLAVE (SEQ ID NO:38), VEGNL (SEQ ID NO:39), LNEAL (SEQ ID
NO:40), VLPALP (SEQ ID NO:4), MGGTWA (SEQ ID NO:41), LTCDDP (SEQ ID
NO:42), VLPALPQ (SEQ ID NO:43), VCNYRDV (SEQ ID NO:44), CPRGVNP (SEQ ID
NO:45), QPLAPLVG (SEQ ID NO:46) or DINGFLPAL (SEQ ID NO:47).
