“PEPTIDES AND MEDICAL USES THEREOF”

Technical Field

The present invention relates to peptides, a composition comprising said peptides and the use thereof as inhibitors of angiogenesis and/or neoangiogenesis. Furthermore, the present invention relates to the use of said peptides and said composition for the treatment of pathologies correlated with an incorrect angiogenesis and/or neoangiogenesis. In particular, in this context reference is made to angiogenesis and/or neoangiogenesis correlated with VEGFR1. Prior Art

Given the considerable severity and wide spectrum of pathologies for which inhibition of the activation of VEGFR-1 may have application, it is conceivable that there will be a strong demand for synthetic compounds capable of binding VEGFR-1 and able to interfere in the interaction between the VEGF-A, PIGF, VEGF-B ligands and VEGF-A/PIGF heterodimer with VEGFR-1. In fact, advantageously, synthetic compounds are intrinsically free of contaminants of biological origin and they can also be produced at a considerably lower cost than biotherapeutics of recombinant origin.

With the aim of neutralizing ligands, many therapeutic approaches use monoclonal antibodies because they are molecules characterized by high specificity and affinity. However, synthetic molecules, too, have their advantages, because they are easier and more inexpensive to produce, more stable and more easily deliverable.

In this regard, Ponticelli et al. recently described, in 2008, a tetrameric tripeptide selected from a peptide library, in which a peptide chain with the formula (R-Glu)-(S-Cys(Bzl))-(S-Cha) was tetramerized on a “core” of three lysines (Tam, J. P. 1988. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85:5409 - 5413).

The tetrameric peptide has the following structure:

Formula (I)

The scientific evidence reported by Ponticelli et al. demonstrates that the above-mentioned tetrameric peptide is capable of binding VEGFR1 and inhibiting, in vitro, the interaction of PIGF, VEGF-A and VEGF-B with an IC50 of about 10 mM. Furthermore, the peptide is not capable of binding VEGFR-2 and does not interfere in its activation by VEGF-A.

Finally, the peptide:

1 ) has shown anti-angiogenic activity in vitro, interfering with the pro- angiogenic activity of PIGF and VEGF-A;

2) is able to displace the VEGF-A-sFlt1 bond in the cornea - non- vascularized under physiological conditions - consequently rendering it VEGF-A free and capable of promoting neoangiogenesis;

3) when administered intraperitoneally, reduces tumor growth, angiogenesis and arteriogenesis as well as metastatization; and

4) when administered intravitreally, reduces choroidal neovascularization (Cicatiello et al. 2015).

The anti-angiogenic activity of the peptide is due both to an inhibition of the formation of new blood vessels and the capacity to inhibit the recruitment of inflammatory cells, preferably monocytes-macrophages, at the sites of neoangiogenesis.

The anti-arteriogenic activity is based on the capacity to inhibit the recruitment of smooth muscle cells at the sites of neoangiogenesis. Object of the invention

In this context, the authors of the present invention have surprisingly found that by inserting, at the C-Terminal of the peptide, a chemical group, in particular an amino acid characterized by a side chain having a steric hindrance comparable to that of the thiol or thioether group, one significantly improves the activity of the molecule.

In fact, the above-mentioned modifications do not compromise selective binding with VEGFR1 and the capacity to compete, in a dose-dependent manner, with VEGF-A and/or PIGF in binding with VEGFR1. On the contrary, these modifications are capable of producing a 50% inhibition (IC50) of the interaction between PIGF or VEGF and VEGFR1 at a concentration of less than 1000 nM; this is a wholly unexpected result considering that the affinity of the peptide reported in Ponticelli et al. towards VEGFR1 is equal to 10000 nM or higher (expressed as IC50). In other words, the peptides of the present invention have an inhibitory capacity which is about one order of magnitude greater than that of the peptide reported in Ponticelli et al.

Furthermore, the authors of the present invention have surprisingly found that, when administered orally, or by gavage, both the peptide described in Ponticelli et al. and the peptides of the present invention have demonstrated a significant capacity to inhibit choroidal neovascularization. Therefore, these molecules are therapeutically effective for treating, preferably by oral administration, pathologies correlated with or in any case caused by an alteration of angiogenesis, preferably VEGFR1 - dependent angiogenesis.

A detailed description of the invention follows, along with non-limiting illustrative examples which make reference to the figures and definitions below.

Brief description of the drawings - Figure 1 shows the inhibitory activity of iVR1 and iVR1 -Cys and of the anti-PIGF monoclonal antibody with reference to PIGF-induced phosphorylation of VEGFR-1. The analysis of VEGFR-1 phosphorylation induced with 20 ng/ml of PIGF was conducted on 293-VEGFR-1 cells by western blotting. iVR1 -Cys and iVR1 were added simultaneously to PIGF at a concentration of 5 mM. A human anti-PIGF neutralizing monoclonal antibody was used at a concentration of 3.3 nM as an inhibition control. PBS was used as a negative control.

- Figure 2 shows that intravitreally administered iVRI-Cys inhibits laser- induced choroidal neovascularization in a dose-dependent manner. A single intravitreal injection of 10 or 50 pg of iVRI-Cys brings about a dose- dependent reduction of choroidal neovascularization equal to 48.9% and 75.9% compared to injection of the vehicle (DMSO). The same amounts of iVR1 bring about an inhibition of CNV equal to 37.8% and 73.9%. The control peptide (PC) shows no inhibitory capacity. Quantization of the volume of neovascularization was performed on n = 12 and 15 spots for iVR1 10pg and 50pg; on n = 10 and 8 spots for iVR1 -Cys 10pg and 50pg; n = 15 spots for PC and n = 14 spots for the DMSO. The data are represented as the mean ± SEM relative to the control. #p<0.05; ^* p > 0.0002; p<0.02; §p > 0.002; vs PC and DMSO. At the bottom, images representative of CNV. The bar represents 100 pm.

- Figure 3 shows that orally administered iVRI-Cys inhibits laser-induced choroidal neovascularization. Oral administration of iVR1 -Cys at 50 mg/Kg twice a day for seven days brings about a 45.9 % reduction of choroidal neovascularization, compared to the vehicle. The same amount of iVR1 brings about a similar inhibition of CNV (49.7 %). Quantization of the volume of neovascularization was performed on n = 18 spots for iVRI-Cys, n = 20 spots for iVRI, and n = 10 spots for the vehicle. The data are represented as the mean ± SEM relative to the control. ^* p = 0.001 and §p = 0.007 vs DMSO. At the bottom, images representative of CNV. The bar represents 100 pm. Definitions

In this context, the term“VEGF” means vascular endothelial growth factor. In humans there exist 5 different vascular endothelial growth factors, VEGF-A, VEGF-B, VEGF-C, VEGF-D and PIGF, encoded by five different genes. All are glycosylated dimeric proteins.

In this context, the term “VEGF-A” means vascular endothelial growth factor -A, formerly also known as VPF (vascular permeability factor). It is the most potent factor of the VEGF family, with a decisive role in both physiological and pathological angiogenesis. At least six different isoforms obtained by alternative splicing have been described in humans. All are capable of interacting with two receptors, which are called VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2.

In this context, the term“PIGF” means placental growth factor, whose role is confined to the conditions of angiogenesis associated with pathological states. Four different isoforms have been described in humans. All are capable of specifically binding VEGFR-1. VEGF-A and PIGF act in strong synergism in pathological conditions, because both interact with VEGFR-1 and because when the two respective genes are expressed in the same cell, they are able to give rise to VEGF-A/PIGF heterodimers capable of interacting with VEGFR-1 or inducing VEGFR-1 /VEGFR-2 heterodimerization.

In this context, the term“VEGFR-1” means VEGF receptor 1 , also known as Flt-1. VEGFR-1 has an intracellular tyrosine-kinase domain, whilst the extracellular portion consists of seven IgG-like domains. VEGF-A, VEGF- B, or PIGF bring about dimerization of the receptor with a consequent activation by autophosphorylation of the tyrosine-kinase domains. Besides being expressed in endothelial cells, VEGFR-1 is expressed in many other types of cells, including smooth muscle cells, monocytes-macrophages, fibroblasts and endothelial precursors. It has a fundamental role in recruiting the different types of cells that contribute to angiogenesis. In this context, the term“soluble VEGFR-1” (sVEGFR-1 ) means the soluble form of VEGF receptor 1 , also known as sFlt-1. It consists of the first six IgG- like extracellular domains of VEGFR-1 plus a tail and is generated from the VEGFR-1 gene by alternative splicing. It is normally expressed by the same cells in which the full-length form of VEGFR-1 is expressed, with the exception of the cornea, in which the soluble form is preferentially expressed, being decisive for maintaining the cornea in an avascular state. The messenger sequences of full-length and soluble human VEGFR1 are preferably SEQ ID NO: 1 and 2, respectively, whereas the protein sequences of full-length human VEGFR1 are SEQ ID NO: 3 and 4, respectively. Sequences characterized by an identity to the sequences described herein ranging from 80-99.9% must be considered part of the present description.

In this context, the term“VEGFR-2” means VEGF receptor 2, also known as KDR in humans and Flk-1 in mice. VEGFR-2 is specifically bound by VEGF-A, and has an organization in domains and an activation mechanism similar to the ones described for VEGFR-1 . Unlike receptor 1 , it is essentially expressed in endothelial cells. It has a fundamental role in stimulating the proliferation, migration and differentiation of endothelial cells.

In this context, the term“angiogenesis” means the process of formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels; in this context angiogenesis is preferably referred to as a process of formation of new blood vessels associated with pathological conditions of various types, preferably selected from:

- neovascular eye diseases, preferably selected from: macular edema, the wet form of age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity, retinopathy of central retinal vein occlusion, vitreous hemorrhage and retinal detachment and combinations thereof; and/or; - solid tumors and/or tumor metastatization, said tumors preferably being selected from: leukemia and lymphomas, preferably acute lymphocytic leukemia, acute non-lymphocytic leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, multiple myeloma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, infantile or adult solid tumors, brain tumors, neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma, Wilms tumor, osteosarcomas and chondrosarcomas, lung tumors, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, urinary system cancer, bladder cancer, tumor of the oral cavity, tumor of the pancreas, melanoma and tumors of the skin, tumor of the stomach, tumor of the brain, tumor of the thyroid, tumor of the larynx, tumor of the liver, tumor of the testicles; and/or

- diseases of the bones or joints, preferably selected from: rheumatoid arthritis, synovitis, cartilage and/or bone destruction, osteomyelitis, hypertrophy and/or hyperplasia of the synovial tissue, formation of osteophytes, neoplasms and/or metastases and combinations thereof; and/or

- pathologies of blood vessels, preferably selected from: atherosclerosis, hemangioma, hemangioendothelioma and combinations thereof; and/or

- skin diseases, preferably selected from: psoriasis, warts, pyogenic granulomas, hair growth, Kaposi's sarcoma, keloids of wounds, allergic edema, neoplasms and combinations thereof; and/or

- angiogenesis observed in pathologies of adipose tissue, preferably obesity; and/or

- diabetes and/or its consequences, preferably retinopathy and/or diabetic foot; and/or

- diseases of hematopoiesis, preferably AIDS and/or Kaposi's sarcoma.

In this context, the term “neoangiogenesis” means new angiogenesis, preferably with reference to the formation of new blood vessels in tissues in which they were previously absent and/or an increase in the number of blood vessels in already vascularized tissues; in this context, the neo angiogenesis is preferably dependent on the activity of VEGFR-1. In this context, the term“vascularization” means angiogenesis, i.e., they are used as synonyms.

In this context, the term “neovascularization” means neoangiogenesis, preferably dependent on the activity of VEGFR-1.

In this context, the term“arteriogenesis” means the process of stabilization of new blood vessels through the covering of the vessels with smooth muscle cells.

In this context, “inhibitor” means a chemical and/or biological entity capable of antagonizing the activity of a receptor by binding the receptor itself and/or the soluble ligands thereof, thus preventing their interaction.

In this context, the term“effective dose” means a dosage interval within which the administration of the active substance described in the invention is capable of determining the desired biological effect. As is well known to the person skilled in the art, it may vary depending on: state of health, physical condition of the individual who needs to be treated, age, the formulation of the active substance, the assessment of the physician taking care of the patient, the ability of the system of the single individual to respond effectively, degree of response desired, taxonomic group (for example, human, non-human primate, primate, etc.), and other relevant factors. It is expected that the effective dose of the active substance described in the invention will fall within an interval that is sufficiently wide to be determined with routine tests. Generally, as reported by Ragan- Shaw et al. (FASEB J. 2008 Mar;22(3):659-61 ), and thus in this context as well, the effective dose administered preferably ranges between 10 and 2000 mg/dose when administered preferably systemically, preferably systemically by the enteral route, more preferably orally, sublingually or rectally. Alternatively, the effective dose administered ranges between 1 and 100 mg/dose when administered preferably intravitreally. Alternatively, the effective dose administered preferably ranges between 0.16 and 33.3 mg/kg of body weight. The treatment program provides for a single dose or multiple doses. Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention

A first aspect of the invention refers to peptides, preferably multimeric peptides, isolated and characterized by the following general formula (II):

{{{[Y1 - Glu - Cys(Bzl) - Cha]2 - Z1 }i - Z2 }j - Z3 }z - Y2 - Y3 (Formula II) wherein

- Y1 is the amino-terminal function of the peptide (NH2) or at least one chemical group preferably selected in Table I. The list is understood also to include chemical groups, preferably amino acids, which possess a steric hindrance and/or chemical properties, in particular a side chain in the case of amino acids, which mimic those of the chemical groups, preferably the amino acids, listed in Table I and/or which are characterized by a similarity, preferably of at least 70%, said similarity being determined with methods known to the person skilled in the art, for example, but not exclusively, with the methods described in Woong-Hee Shin et al., Molecules 2015, 20, 12841 -12862.

In this context, it should be clarified that the D/L notations suitable for defining the absolute configuration of the chiral centers present in the groups of the present description are interchangeable with the R/S notation following rules reported in the literature, as is known to the person skilled in the art.

Table I

- Glu indicates glutamic acid, preferably in an absolute configuration R on the Ca of the amino acid (R-Glu).

- Cys(Bzl) indicates benzyl cysteine, preferably in an absolute configuration S on the Ca of the amino acid containing a sulfur-linked benzyl group of the amino acid (S-benzyl-cysteine / S-Cys (Bzl) side chain.

- Cha indicates cyclohexylalanine, preferably in an absolute configuration S on the Ca of the amino acid (S-cyclohexylalanine/ S-Cha). - Y2 is preferably selected from:

1. the tripeptide R-Glu - S-Cys(Bzl) - S-Cha, and

• an a-amino acid, preferably selected from a glycine or an a-amino acid characterized by at least one thiol or thioether group, said a- amino acid characterized by at least one thiol or thioether group preferably being selected from the ones shown in Table II and combinations thereof.

The list is understood also to include chemical groups, preferably amino acids, which possess a steric hindrance and/or chemical properties, in particular a side chain in the case of amino acids, which mimic those of the chemical groups, preferably the amino acids, listed in Table II and which are characterized by a similarity, preferably of at least 70%, said similarity being determined with methods known to the person skilled in the art, for example, but not exclusively, with the methods described in Woong-Hee Shin et al., Molecules 2015, 20, 12841 -12862.

Table II

- Y3 is preferably selected from: a carboxylic group, a carboxyamide group, an N-methyl-substituted carboxyamide or di-substituted N, N- dimethyl group, a hydroxyl group and a hydrogen.

- Z1 , Z2 and Z3 preferably indicate a trifunctional group, preferably characterized by the following formula (III):

B-(CH)-C00H

(CH2)k

B

where k is an integer, preferably comprised between 1 and 4, and B is preferably an amino group or a hydroxyl group. Said trifunctional molecule is preferably in an R or S absolute configuration. Preferably, Z1 , Z2 and Z3 are used for the purpose of obtaining a branched structure. In fact, this type of structure is generally used to multimerize peptides following known methods for this purpose, for example when B is an amino group, the method described by Tam et al. can be used (Tam J.P., 1988, PNAS, 85, 5409-5413).

Z1 , Z2 and Z3 can be assembled in such a way as to obtain a structure of formula (II) with multiple groups Z1 , Z2 and Z3, preferably containing 1 , 3 or 7 trifunctional molecules.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, Z1 and/or Z2 and/or Z3 are joined to one another preferably by amide bonds in such a way as to form a branched structure. Alternatively, they can be joined to one another by an ester bond, for example when B is preferably a hydroxyl group.

- i is preferably 4, 2 or 1.

- j is preferably 2, 1 or 0.

- z is preferably 1 or 0.

According to a preferred embodiment, when i=4, j=2 and z=1. According to a further preferred embodiment, when i=2, j=1 and z=0.

According to a further preferred embodiment, when i=1 , j=z=0.

If j=0 the Z2 group is omitted and if z=0 the Z3 group is omitted.

For the purposes of the present invention, the particularly preferred embodiment envisages that i is equal to 2, j is equal to 1 and Z2 is 0 or omitted (in other words, Z3 is not present, i.e., it is absent).

In the particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, Z1 , Z2 and Z3 are a R- or S-lysine (k = 4) and i is preferably equal to 2.

The preferred formula of the multimeric peptide of the invention is represented by the formula below (Figure lla):

(Figure lla)

According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the peptide is a tetrameric peptide characterized by the formula (Mb):

Lys - D-Cys - COOH

(Formula lib)

In which:

Y1 is a hydrogen atom;

- Y2 is a D-cysteine;

- Y3 is an unsubstituted primary amide group

- Z1 , Z2 and Z3 being as defined above; - i equal to 2;

- j equal to 1 ; and

- z equal to zero, i.e., absent.

For the sake of convenience, the particularly preferred embodiment of the peptide characterized by the formula Mb will be called iVR1 -Cys from this moment on.

The above-described peptides show a biological activity, preferably a modulation activity, more preferably an activity of inhibiting angiogenesis and/or neoangiogenesis, which is improved compared to that of the peptide described by Ponticelli et al. as reported and discussed below in the experimental results which - in this context - have a non-limiting illustrative purpose. The angiogenesis and/or neoangiogenesis being referred to in this context is preferably VEGFR1 -dependent as earlier defined.

The peptide described in Ponticelli et al. is also a tetrameric peptide characterized by the formula (lie):

Lys - Gly - COOH

(Formula lie)

Wherein:

- Y1 is a hydrogen atom;

- Y2 is a glycine;

- Y3 is an unsubstituted primary amide group

- Z1 , Z2 and Z3 being as defined above; - i equal to 2;

j equal to 1 ; and

- z equal to zero.

For the sake of convenience, the particularly preferred embodiment of the peptide characterized by the formula lie will be called iVR1 from this moment on.

The authors of the present invention have surprisingly found that by modifying IVR1 , in particular at the terminal carboxyl, preferably by inserting an R-Glu - S-Cys(Bzl) - S-Cha group or an a-amino acid, preferably selected from an a-amino acid characterized by at least one thiol or thioether group, said a-amino acid characterized by at least one thiol or thioether group preferably being selected from the ones shown in Table II and combinations thereof, one obtains peptides characterized by an improved biological activity, preferably an improved modulation capacity, preferably by inhibiting angiogenesis and/or neoangiogenesis as defined above.

In fact, as shown and discussed in greater detail in the examples, iVR1 - Cys has demonstrated a capacity to inhibit, in a dose-dependent manner, the interaction of both PIGF and VEGF-A with VEGFR-1 , a capacity which is improved compared to iVR1. In particular, the concentration at which iVR1 -Cys is capable of inhibiting the interaction of PIGF with VEGFR-1 by 50% (IC50) is below 1000 nM, whereas the IC50 for VEGF-A/VEGFR-1 inhibition is close to or just above 1000 nM. iVR1 , on the other hand, is capable of inhibiting the interaction of PIGF with VEGFR-1 by 50% (IC50) at a concentration close to 10000 nM. Similarly, the IC50 for VEGF- A/VEGFR-1 inhibition by iVR1 is close to or just above 10000 nM.

Therefore, iVR1 -Cys shows an inhibitory capacity that is 10 times greater than the one reported for iVR1.

Furthermore, the authors have demonstrated - with in vivo assays - that iVR1 brings about a 37.8% and 39.3% inhibition of choroidal neovascularization vs the vehicle and PC (p<0.05), whereas iVR1 -Cys brings about a 48.9% and 51.0% inhibition vs the vehicle and PC (p<0.02). Therefore, iVR1 -Cys shows a greater inhibition effectiveness than the peptide iVR1 , as it brings about a further 19.3% reduction of neovascularization.

Finally, when administered orally, or by gavage, both peptides tested by way of example are capable of inducing a significant inhibition of neovascularization compared to the vehicle.

The latter fact is particularly relevant because although Ponticelli et al. and Cicatiello et al. 2015 had already demonstrated the capacity of iVR1 to inhibit choroidal angiogenesis and neovascularization by intravitreal injection, it was absolutely not expected that administering the peptides through different routes, in particular by gavage, could maintain or even improve the therapeutic effectiveness, above all in the case of a highly complex organ like the eye and pathologies affecting it caused by or in any case correlated with an unregulated, preferably increased angiogenesis/neoangiogenesis. In particular, the neovascular diseases of the eye to which reference is being made are preferably selected from: macular edema, the wet form of age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity, central retinal vein occlusion, vitreous hemorrhage and retinal detachment and combinations thereof.

In the light of this evidence, it is clear that the administration of the peptides of the invention through the oral route, or by gavage, is therapeutically effective also for treating pathologies, such as cancer for example, which are in general correlated with angiogenesis/neoangiogenesis. The angiogenesis or neoangiogenesis to which reference is being made is preferably VEGFR1 -dependent.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the peptides can be modified in order to facilitate or improve delivery, preferably by PEGylation, or using container/shuttle/carrier systems, preferably liposomes, micelles, capsules, emulsions, matrices, gels and the like.

A further aspect of the present invention relates to a composition comprising the peptides as described in detail and at least one further pharmaceutically accepted ingredient.

The composition preferably comprises at least one peptide characterized by Formula lla, more preferably the peptide characterized by Formula lib, i.e., iVR1 -Cys.

In this context, pharmaceutically accepted ingredient means a compound selected from: excipients, diluents, carriers, adjuvants, preservatives, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, oils, vitamins, antioxidants, chelating agents, solubilizing agents, viscosity agents, inert gases, surfactant agents, emulsifying agents, buffer substances, immunosuppressants, anti tumor agents and combinations thereof.

For example, according to one embodiment, the composition comprises the peptides of the invention in combination with: at least one anti- angiogenic/anti-neoangiogenic molecule, an antibody neutralizing the action of PIGF, at least one anti-VEGFR-1 , anti-VEGFR-2, anti-VEGFR-3 antibody, at least one anti-VEGF-A, anti-VEGF-B, anti-VEGF-C, anti- VEGF-D, anti-VEGF-E antibody and combinations thereof.

A further aspect of the present invention relates to the peptides as described above, preferably a peptide characterized by Formula lla, more preferably the peptide characterized by Formula Mb, i.e., iVR1 -Cys, for use as a medicament.

A further aspect of the present invention relates to the peptides as described above, preferably a peptide characterized by Formula I la, more preferably the peptide characterized by Formula Mb, i.e., iVR1 -Cys, or the composition comprising said peptides as described above for use in the treatment of a pathological condition associated with or caused by incorrect angiogenesis/neo-angiogenesis, i.e., a pathology in which angiogenesis/neoangiogenesis is unregulated; it has preferably increased and therefore needs to be inhibited.

Besides being useful in the treatment of said pathologies, the peptides as described above, preferably a peptide characterized by Formula lla, more preferably the peptide characterized by Formula Mb, i.e., iVR1 -Cys, or the composition comprising said peptides as described above can also be used for the follow-up of further alternative therapeutic treatments for said pathologies.

As already said previously, the angiogenesis/neoangiogenesis, as earlier defined, is/are preferably dependent on/induced by/regulated by VEGFR1 , or by the VEGFR1 pathway.

Said pathology/condition is preferably selected from:

- neovascular eye diseases, preferably selected from: macular edema, the wet form of age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity, retinopathy of central retinal vein occlusion, vitreous hemorrhage and retinal detachment and combinations thereof; and/or

- solid or liquid tumors and/or tumor metastasis, said tumors preferably being selected from: leukemias and lymphomas, preferably acute lymphocytic leukemia, acute non-lymphocytic leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, multiple myeloma, Flodgkin's lymphoma, Flodgkin's disease, infantile or adult solid tumors, brain tumors, neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma, Wilms tumor, osteosarcomas and chondrosarcomas, lung tumors, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, urinary system cancer, bladder cancer, tumor of the oral cavity, tumor of the pancreas, melanoma and tumors of the skin, tumor of the stomach, tumor of the brain, tumor of the thyroid, tumor of the larynx, tumor of the liver, tumor of the testicles; and/or

- diseases of the bones or joints, preferably selected from: rheumatoid arthritis, synovitis, cartilage and/or bone destruction, osteomyelitis, hypertrophy and/or hyperplasia of the synovial tissue, formation of osteophytes, neoplasms and/or metastases and combinations thereof; and/or

- pathologies of blood vessels, preferably selected from: atherosclerosis, hemangioma, hemangioendothelioma and combinations thereof; and/or

- skin diseases, preferably selected from: psoriasis, warts, pyogenic granulomas, hair growth, Kaposi's sarcoma, keloids of wounds, allergic edema, neoplasms and combinations thereof; and/or

- angiogenesis observed in pathologies of adipose tissue, preferably obesity; and/or

- diabetes and/or its consequences, preferably retinopathy and/or diabetic foot; and/or

- diseases of hematopoiesis, preferably AIDS and/or Kaposi's sarcoma.

For the above-described medical purposes, the peptides and the composition of the invention can optionally be combined or also used before or after already known drugs used to treat the above pathologies. Furthermore, the peptides or the composition of the invention can be associated with already known treatments of a surgical, radiotherapeutic or chemotherapeutic type which are used to treat the above pathologies. The peptides of the present invention or the composition comprising said peptides as described above can be formulated so as to be administered through any route. The route of administration is preferably selected from: systemic route, preferably the oral route, gavage, sublingual or rectal route, the topical, subcutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous, intra-arterial, intraperitoneal, intradermal and intraepidermal route.

The peptides or the composition of the invention can be formulated as a solid, for example as pills, tablets, granules, soluble granules, pellets, beads, lozenges, and the like. Alternatively, the peptides or the composition of the invention can be formulated as a liquid solution, for example to be administered by injection, inhalation or nebulization, or as drops or sprays.

The peptides of the present invention or the composition comprising said peptides as described above can be administered as a bolus.

The peptides of the present invention or the composition comprising said peptides as described above can be administered by means of medical devices, for example by means of stents, pump or patches.

The administration can preferably be continuous, by controlled release or by constant release, preferably using devices for ocular drug delivery. Administration by the oral route or gavage is particularly preferred. In fact, as previously described, the peptides of the present invention, iVR1 included, show to be effective in inhibiting angiogenesis/neoangiogenesis also when administered by gavage. They have shown to be effective also for inhibiting angiogenesis/neoangiogenesis in the eye; in other words, when the peptides of the invention, iVR1 included, were administered by gavage, an inhibition of angiogenesis/neoangiogenesis in the eye was surprisingly observed. The angiogenesis/neoangiogenesis being referred to is preferably VEGFR1 -dependent.

In the light of this scientific evidence, a further aspect of the present invention relates to the peptides of the invention, preferably at least one peptide characterized by Figure I la, more preferably the peptide characterized by Formula lib, i.e., iVR1 -Cys, and/or the peptide characterized by Formula lie, i.e., iVR1 , or a composition comprising said peptides administered orally or by gavage, for use in the treatment of pathologies caused by or in any case associated with an incorrect, preferably increased, angiogenesis/neoangiogenesis, preferably VEGFR1 - dependent.

Said pathology/condition is preferably selected from:

- neovascular eye diseases, preferably selected from: macular edema, the wet form of age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinopathy of prematurity, retinopathy of central retinal vein occlusion, vitreous hemorrhage and retinal detachment and combinations thereof; and/or

- solid tumors and/or tumor metastasis, said tumors preferably being selected from: leukemias and lymphomas, preferably acute lymphocytic leukemia, acute non-lymphocytic leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, multiple myeloma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, infantile or adult solid tumors, brain tumors, neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma, Wilms tumor, osteosarcomas and chondrosarcomas, lung tumors, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, urinary system cancer, bladder cancer, tumor of the oral cavity, tumor of the pancreas, melanoma and tumors of the skin, tumor of the stomach, tumor of the brain, tumor of the thyroid, tumor of the larynx, tumor of the liver, tumor of the testicles; and/or

- diseases of the bones or joints, preferably selected from: rheumatoid arthritis, synovitis, cartilage and/or bone destruction, osteomyelitis, hypertrophy and/or hyperplasia of the synovial tissue, formation of osteophytes, neoplasms and/or metastases and combinations thereof; and/or

- pathologies of blood vessels, preferably selected from: atherosclerosis, hemangioma, hemangioendothelioma and combinations thereof; and/or

- skin diseases, preferably selected from: psoriasis, warts, pyogenic granulomas, hair growth, Kaposi's sarcoma, keloids of wounds, allergic edema, neoplasms and combinations thereof; and/or

- angiogenesis observed in pathologies of adipose tissue, preferably obesity; and/or - diabetes and/or its consequences, preferably retinopathy and/or diabetic foot; and/or

- diseases of hematopoiesis, preferably AIDS and/or Kaposi's sarcoma. The peptide or the composition of the invention is administered to any animal that has need of it, preferably an animal in which there is a need to inhibit VEGFR-1 -dependent neoangiogenesis.

Said animal is preferably a mammal, more preferably it is a human being. The effective dose of the peptide or of the composition as described above that is administered preferably ranges:

- between 10 and 2000 mg/dose, preferably when administered systemically, preferably by the systemic enteral route, more preferably orally, sublingually or rectally; or

- between 1 and 100 mg/dose when administered preferably intravitreally. Alternatively, the effective dose that is administered preferably ranges between 0.16 and 33.3 mg/kg of body weight.

The treatment program preferably provides for a single dose or multiple doses.

The sequences of the invention are annotated according to the international standard WIPO ST.25 and the description thereof was developed with the program Patent-In 3.5. A description of the sequences is attached hereto.

In the present invention, the sequences identified in Table III and the sequences having an identity ranging from 80 to 99.9% are to be considered described.

Table III

EXAMPLE

Dose-deoendent inhibition of VEGF-A/VEGFR1 and PIGF/VEGFR-1 interaction.

The assay to test the binding of PIGF or VEGF-A with the VEGFR-1 receptor is based on the ELISA method [Ponticelli et al., JBC. 2008 Dec 5;283(49):34250-9] and was performed using reagents acquired from R&D Systems.

The human recombinant receptor VEGFR-1 , in particular the form consisting of the seven extracellular domains of the receptor fused to the Fc domain of human IgG (R&D Systems, cat N° 321 -FL), was made to adhere in the wells of 96-well microplates at a concentration of 0.5 pg/ml in PBS pH 7.5 (100 mI/well) for 16 hours at room temperature (RT).

After the non-specific binding sites had been blocked in the wells using a buffer solution consisting of PBS pH 7.5 containing 3% BSA, 5 ng/ml of recombinant PIGF (R&D Systems, cat N° 264-PG), or 5 ng/ml of recombinant VEGF-A (R&D Systems, cat N° 293-VE) of human origin in PBET (PBS pH 7.5, BSA 0.1 %, EDTA 5mM, Tween 0.004%) were added to the wells with the adhered receptor.

Simultaneously with the ligands, i.e., PIGF or VEGF-A, graduated doses of iVR1 , iVR1 -Cys or a control peptide (PC - [(S-Ser)-(S-Ala)-(S-Cha) tripeptide with a tetrameric structure identical to the structure of the iVR1 peptides]) were added at concentrations comprised between 780 and 50000 nM. The binding reaction was conducted for one hour at 37 °C, followed by one hour at room temperature.

At the end of the binding and/or competition step, anti-human-PIGF biotinylated polyclonal antibodies (R&D Systems, cat No. BAF264) or anti- human-VEGF-A (R&D Systems, cat No. BAF293) were added to the wells at the concentration of 300 ng/ml in PBET. After one hour of incubation at 37 °C followed by one hour at room temperature, an HRP-conjugated avidin-streptavidin system (Vectastain elite ABC kit) and a substrate for HRP (o-phenylenediamine - Sigma, cat No. P1526) were added to the wells. Quantization was performed by determining the absorbance at 490 nM.

Any inhibitory activity of the peptides was expressed in terms of % of residual binding, comparing the data obtained for the binding of PIGF or VEGF-A to the receptors in the presence of the tetrameric peptides with those in the absence of the same. iVR1 represented the positive control of the inhibition of the PIGF/VEGFR-1 or VEGF-A/VEGFR-1 interaction.

The results are given in Tables IV and V and show that iVR1 -Cvs demonstrated a capacity to inhibit the interaction both of PIGF and VEGF- A with VEGFR-1 in a dose-dependent manner.

The concentration at which iVR1 -Cvs is capable of inhibiting the interaction of PIGF with VEGFR-1 by 50% (IC50) is below 1000 nM, whereas the IC50 for VEGF-A/VEGFR-1 is close to or just above 1000 nM. Therefore, iVR1 -Cys has an inhibitory capacity that is about 10 times greater than that of iVR1 , and it is thus expected that it can be used at doses that are 10 times smaller in the same in vitro and in vivo experimental protocols relating to angiogenesis/neoangiogenesis inhibition in order to obtain the same effects as obtained with iVR1.

PC gives no inhibition.

Table IV - Dose-dependent inhibition of PIGF/VEGFR-1 interaction

Table V - Dose-dependent inhibition of VEGF-A/VEGFR-1 interaction

The capacity of tetrameric peptides having formula (II), but with Y2 different from D-cysteine, to inhibit VEGF-A/VEGFR-1 binding was assessed with the binding assay described above. Y2 of the peptides and the respective IC50 of inhibition of VEGF-A/VEGFR-1 interaction are indicated in Table VI.

Table VI - IC50 of inhibition of the interaction VEGF-A/VEGFR-1

Inhibition of PIGF-induced phosphorylation of VEGFR-1.

An assay of the PIGF-induced phosphorylation of the receptor VEGFR-1 was performed in order to evaluate the inhibitory capacity of the peptide iVR1 -Cys and compare its activity to that of iVR1.

For the activation of VEGFR-1 , use was made of a cell line over expressing the receptor, called 293-VEGFR-1 , obtained by stable transfection from FIEK-293 cells (Errico, M. et al. 2004 JBC, 279: 43929- 43939).

For this purpose, the 293-VEGFR-1 cells were cultured until reaching subconfluence and the cells were subsequently ‘starved’, by keeping/incubating them in the culture medium without serum for at least 16 hours.

At the end of the starvation step, the culture medium was removed and the cell monolayers were incubated with Na3V04 100 mM for 5 minutes in order to inhibit the activity of the endogenous phosphatase.

The cells were then stimulated with PIGF (1 ) alone at 20 ng/ml in the medium used for the starvation for 10 minutes at 37 °C and (2) in the presence of the peptides at the concentration of 5 mM.

An anti-human-PIGF neutralizing monoclonal antibody (Thrombogenics) was used at a concentration of 3.3 nM as an inhibition control. PBS was used as a negative control.

At the end of incubation, the cells were washed with cold Na3V04 100 mM and then lysed in the buffer composed of T ris-HOI 20 mM pH 8, EDTA 5 mM, NaCI 150 mM, 1 % Triton-X100, 10% glycerol, zinc acetate 10 mM, Na3V04 100 mM and a mixture of protease inhibitors and incubated for 1 hour at 4 °C under gentle stirring. At the end, the cell lysates were centrifuged at 12000xg for 15 minutes to remove the cellular debris. Quantization of the extracts was performed with the Bradford method using a Bio-Rad reagent. 100 pg of every protein extract were loaded on SDS-PAGE reducing to 8.5%, and then the standard method for analyzing proteins was carried out by western blotting. The anti-p-VEGFR-1 antibody (R&D Systems, cat. N° AF4170), diluted 1 :500, was used to detect the phosphorylated VEGFR-1 , whilst normalization was carried out by detecting the non- phosphorylated form of the receptor using the anti-VEGFR-1 antibody (Sigma-Aldrich, cat. No. V4262) diluted 1 :500.

As shown in Fig.1 , the peptide iVR1 -Cys, used at a concentration about 5 times higher (5000 nM) than its IC50 determined in the binding assays (see Example 1 ), brings about a powerful inhibition of phosphorylation of the receptor, similar to the one obtained with the neutralizing antibody and decidedly greater than the one obtained with iVR1 using the same concentration.

Inhibition of choroidal neovascularization by intravitreal and oral (gavage) administration of iVR1 and iVR1 -Cvs.

The experimental model of laser-induced choroidal neovascularization entails generating damage to Bruch’s membrane, which separates the choroid from the pigmented epithelium of the retina (RPE). The damage is provoked by laser-induced burning, which causes the perforation of Bruch’s membrane, thus activating chorioretinal vascularization, the growth of new vessels which, starting from the choroid, invade the overlying retinal tissue. This mouse model sums up the main characteristics of the exudative form of human age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and is in fact commonly used as a preclinical model of AMD. It enables an assessment of the anti-angiogenic activity of the molecules of interest.

In order to be able to visualize the ocular fundus of the mouse and induce damage with the laser, the Micron IV integrated system was used, following the experimental procedure described below.

First of all, dilatation of the animal’s pupil was induced by applying 0.5% Tropicamide eye drops. The animal was then anaesthetized by intraperitoneal injection of a solution of ketamine and xylazine (80 mg/Kg and 10 mg/Kg, respectively). Once sedated, the animal was placed on the stand and a hydroxypropyl methylcellulose 2.5% aqueous solution was applied on both eyes. It has the dual function of preventing dehydration of the cornea and improving visualization of the ocular fundus by placing the camera lens of the Micron IV in contact with the solution (a procedure similar to the one used in microscopy with immersion objectives).

In order to induce damage with the laser, first of all the laser pointer is activated and focused so as to apply the laser beam using the RPE layer as a reference. The area where the laser beam is applied must be distant from the main vessels of the retina in order to prevent possible hemorrhaging. The efficiency of the burning at the level of Bruch’s membrane is confirmed by the formation of a bubble immediately after application of the laser beam. The conditions of application of the laser beam were 200mW of power for 100 msec.

From data present in the literature, well summarized in the article by Lambert et al. (Nature Protocols, 2013, 8:2197), it is known that the maximum neo-vascularization in this experimental model is obtained seven days after the damage.

C57BI6/J mice were used, n = 5 per group. At the end of the procedure of inducing damage with the laser, an intravitreal injection was immediately performed and 10 and 50 pg of iVR1 -Cys or iVR1 , and 50 pg of PC in 1 pL of DMSO were administered using a Hamilton syringe with a 32g needle. As a control DMSO was injected on its own.

After seven days the animals were sacrificed and the eyes were enucleated and fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde. Subsequently, the front segment of the eye, consisting of the: cornea, iris and crystalline was removed under a stereo microscope. The remaining part, defined‘eye- cups’ or posterior segment consisting of: sclera, choroid, RPE and retina was incubated in the presence of 0.7% FITC-Griffonia simplicifolia Isolectin B4 (Vector Laboratories, Burlingame, CA) for sixteen hours. After a series of washes, the retina is removed and four cuts are made on the RPE/choroid, which enables mounting on the slide for observation under a fluorescence microscope. Quantization of choroidal neovascularization is performed in terms of volume. In order to assess the volume of every spot, a series of images is acquired (Z-Satcks, about 20-25 image), each with a thickness of 1 pm, from the upper surface to the deepest focal plane, at the level of the RPE cells. The volume of fluorescence is measured by means of the ImageJ program (NIH, Bethesda, MD), taking the sum of the areas of fluorescence of every single plane.

Quantization of CNV was performed on n = 12 and 15 spots for iVR1 10pg and 50pg; n = 10 and 8 spots for iVR1 -Cys 10pg and 50pg; n = 15 spots for PC and n = 14 spots for DMSO. The results given in Fig. 2 show that both peptides are capable of bringing about a dose-dependent inhibition of neovascularization. With the higher dose (50pg), a powerful, significant and comparable neovascularization inhibition capacity was obtained: iVR1 -Cys -75.9% and -74.6 % vs the vehicle and PC (p > 0.002); iVR1 - 73.9% and -76.5 % vs the vehicle and PC (p > 0.0002).

At the dosage of 10 pg, iVR1 brings about a 37.8% and 39.3% inhibition of neovascularization vs the vehicle and PC (p<0.05), whereas iVR1 -Cys brings about a 48.9% and 51.0% inhibition vs the vehicle and PC (p<0.02). At a low concentration, therefore, the peptide iVR1 -Cys demonstrates a greater inhibition effectiveness than the peptide iVR1 , as it brings about a further 19.3% reduction of neovascularization. It is thus possible that the maximum threshold of the inhibitory capacity of the peptides was reached at the higher dosage used.

For the experiments on oral administration (gavage), choroidal neovascularization was induced in C57BI6/J mice, n = 5 animals per group, following the experimental procedure previously described. The administration of the peptides iVR1 and iVR1 -Cys and of the vehicle began immediately after induction of the damage, as soon as the animals recovered from the anesthesia, twice a day for the seven days provided for by the experimental protocol. The peptides were administered at 50 mg/Kg, on the basis of the data obtained previously for the peptide iVR1 administered intraperitoneally (Cicatiello et al. 2015, Oncotarget, 6, 10563-10576).

To enable oral administration to be performed, the peptides were dissolved in DMSO, and then mixed with Nutilis food thickener, so as to have a final mixture consisting of 9 parts Nutilis and 1 part DMSO.

The substances were prepared at a concentration such as to make it possible to use, for every single administration, 200mI of the 9:1 Nutilis/substance in DMSO mixture, which was administered directly into the animal’s stomach using a suitable needle for gavage with a 20 gauge opening. In the control group, 200 mI of the 9:1 Nutilis/DMSO mixture were administered.

At the end of the experiment, the animals were sacrificed, the eyes were removed and dissected to isolate the RPE-choroid and to determine the volume of CNV by immunofluorescence analysis, as described below. Quantization of CNV was performed on n = 18 spots for iVR1 -Cys, n = 20 spots for iVR1 and n = 10 spots for the vehicle.

The results are given in Fig. 3 and demonstrate that the peptide iVR1 -Cvs is capable of inducing a significant inhibition of neovascularization compared to the vehicle (-45.9%, p = 0.007), at levels similar to those observed for iVR1 (-49.7%, p = 0.001 ).

Serum protease stability of iVR1 -Cvs.

The stability of the peptide iVR1 -Cys in 10% serum (fetal calf serum, FCS) in a 50 mM phosphate buffer solution, pH 7.3, at 168 h was determined as described by Ponticelli et al., relying on a method based on RP-FIPLC chromatography, described therein [Ponticelli et al., J Biol Chem. 2008 Dec 5;283(49):34250-9]

The reference curve was constructed by dissolving the compound in DMSO at increasing concentrations of between 0.1 pmol/L and 1000 pmol/L in order to have complete dissolution. The concentration of the molecule left in contact with 10% FCS at the initial concentration of 10 pmol/L was then determined by drawing 3 aliquots at time t = 0, then every hour in the first 12 hours and then at 24, 72, 120, and 168 h. The aliquots were diluted 1 :1 with acetic acid 0.1 M in order to detach any peptide bound to the albumin, centrifuged to remove any precipitated materials and analyzed by RP-HPLC under the conditions reported in Ponticelli et al. The amount of residual peptide detected in the aliquots, expressed as a percentage relative to the initial amount, was plotted as a function of time. The results are shown in Table VII as the mean of the three determinations ± the standard deviation (SD).

Table VII