Method of use of peptide antagonists of zonulin to prevent or delay the onset of diabetes

1. A method for delay of onset of diabetes comprising:

administering to a subject in need of such delay of onset, a pharmaceutically effective amount of a peptide antagonist of zonulin, wherein said peptide antagonist binds to zonula occludens toxin receptor, yet does not physiologically modulate the opening of mammalian intestinal tight junctions.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said peptide antagonist comprises an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO: 3, SEQ ID NO: 4, SEQ ID NO: 5, SEQ ID NO: 6, SEQ ID NO: 7, SEQ ID NO: 8, SEQ ID NO: 9, SEQ ID NO: 10, SEQ ID NO: 11, SEQ ID NO: 12, SEQ ID NO: 13, SEQ ID NO: 14, SEQ ID NO: 15, SEQ ID NO: 16, SEQ ID NO: 17, SEQ ID NO: 18, SEQ ID NO: 19, SEQ ID NO: 20, SEQ ID NO: 21, SEQ ID NO: 22, SEQ ID NO: 23, and SEQ ID NO: 24.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said peptide antagonist is from 8–110 amino acids in size.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said peptide antagonist is from 8–40 amino acids in size.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said peptide antagonist comprises amino acid sequence SEQ ID NO: 15.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said peptide antagonist consists of amino acid sequence SEQ ID NO: 15.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said diabetes is type I diabetes.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said peptide antagonist is administered as an oral dosage composition for intestinal delivery.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the peptide antagonist consists of an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO: 3, SEQ ID NO: 4, SEQ ID NO: 5, SEQ ID NO: 6, SEQ ID NO: 7, SEQ ID NO: 8, SEQ ID NO: 9, SEQ ID NO: 10, SEQ ID NQ: 11, SEQ ID NO: 12, SEQ ID NO: 13, SEQ ID NO: 14, SEQ ID NO: 15, SEQ ID NO: 16, SEQ ID NO: 17, SEQ ID NO: 18, SEQ ID NO: 19, SEQ ID NO: 20, SEQ ID NO: 21, SEQ ID NO: 22, SEQ ID NO: 23, and SEQ ID NO: 24.