Use of osteoprotegerin for the treatment and/or prevention of fibrotic disease

1. A method for treating or inhibiting progression or symptoms of a fibrotic disease of the liver comprising administering to a patient in need of treatment thereof a therapeutically effective amount of a substance selected from the group consisting of:

a) a polypeptide comprising SEQ ID NO: 2 or SEQ ID: 4;

b) a polypeptide comprising amino acids 22 to 401 of SEQ ID NO: 2 or SEQ ID NO: 4;

c) a polypeptide comprising amino acids 22 to 194 of SEQ ID NO: 2 or SEQ ID NO: 4;

d) a mutein of (a) to (c), wherein the amino acid sequence has at least 90% identity to at least one of the sequences in (a) to (c);

e) a mutein of (a) to (c) which is encoded by a DNA sequence which hybridizes to the complement of the DNA sequence encoding any of (a) to (c) under washing conditions of 12-20° C. below the calculated Tm of the hybrid of the DNA sequence of the mutein and the complement in 2×SSC and 0.5% SDS for 5 minutes and which reduces collagen synthesis; and

f) a salt or fused protein of (a) to (e).

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substance is a monomer or dimer.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the substance is glycosylated at one or more sites.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the substance is a fused protein and wherein the fused protein comprises an immunoglobulin (Ig) fusion.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the Ig fusion is an Fc fusion.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substance comprises at least one moiety attached to one or more functional groups, which occur as one or more side chains on the amino acid residues.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the moiety is a polyethylene glycol moiety.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein progression and symptoms are inhibited.

9. A method for treating or inhibiting progression or symptoms of a fibrotic disease of the kidney comprising administering to a patient in need of treatment thereof a therapeutically effective amount of a substance selected from the group consisting of:

a) a polypeptide comprising SEQ ID NO: 2 or SEQ ID: 4;

b) a polypeptide comprising amino acids 22 to 401 of SEQ ID NO: 2 or SEQ ID NO: 4;

c) a polypeptide comprising amino acids 22 to 194 of SEQ ID NO: 2 or SEQ ID NO: 4;

d) a mutein of (a) to (c), wherein the amino acid sequence has at least 90% identity to at least one of the sequences in (a) to (c);

e) a mutein of (a) to (c) which is encoded by a DNA sequence which hybridizes to the complement of the DNA sequence encoding any of (a) to (c) under washing conditions of 12-20° C. below the calculated Tm of the hybrid of the DNA sequence of the mutein and the complement in 2×SSC and 0.5% SDS for 5 minutes and which reduces collagen synthesis; and

f) a salt or fused protein of (a) to (e).

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the substance is a monomer or dimer.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the substance is glycosylated at one or more sites.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the substance is a fused protein and wherein the fused protein comprises an immunoglobulin (Ig) fusion.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the Ig fusion is an Fc fusion.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the substance comprises at least one moiety attached to one or more functional groups, which occur as one or more side chains on the amino acid residues.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the moiety is a polyethylene glycol moiety.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein progression and symptoms are inhibited.

17. A method for treating or inhibiting progression or symptoms of a fibrotic disease of the lung comprising administering to a patient in need of treatment thereof a therapeutically effective amount of a substance selected from the group consisting of:

a) a polypeptide comprising SEQ ID NO: 2 or SEQ ID: 4;

b) a polypeptide comprising amino acids 22 to 401 of SEQ ID NO: 2 or SEQ ID NO: 4;

c) a polypeptide comprising amino acids 22 to 194 of SEQ ID NO: 2 or SEQ ID NO: 4;

d) a mutein of (a) to (c), wherein the amino acid sequence has at least 90% identity to at least one of the sequences in (a) to (c);

e) a mutein of (a) to (c) which is encoded by a DNA sequence which hybridizes to the complement of the DNA sequence encoding any of (a) to (c) under washing conditions of 12-20° C. below the calculated Tm of the hybrid of the DNA sequence of the mutein and the complement in 2×SSC and 0.5% SDS for 5 minutes and which reduces collagen synthesis; and

f) a salt or fused protein of (a) to (e).

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the substance is a monomer or dimer.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the substance is glycosylated at one or more sites.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the substance is a fused protein and wherein the fused protein comprises an immunoglobulin (Ig) fusion.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the Ig fusion is an Fc fusion.

22. The method of claim 17 , wherein the substance comprises at least one moiety attached to one or more functional groups, which occur as one or more side chains on the amino acid residues.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the moiety is a polyethylene glycol moiety.

24. The method of claim 17 , wherein progression and symptoms are inhibited.

25. A method for treating or inhibiting progression or symptoms of inflammation associated with a fibrotic disease comprising administering to a patient in need of treatment thereof a therapeutically effective amount of a substance selected from the group consisting of:

a) a polypeptide comprising SEQ ID NO: 2 or SEQ ID: 4;

b) a polypeptide comprising amino acids 22 to 401 of SEQ ID NO: 2 or SEQ ID NO: 4;

c) a polypeptide comprising amino acids 22 to 194 of SEQ ID NO: 2 or SEQ ID NO: 4;

d) a mutein of (a) to (c), wherein the amino acid sequence has at least 90% identity to at least one of the sequences in (a) to (c);

e) a mutein of (a) to (c) which is encoded by a DNA sequence which hybridizes to the complement of the DNA sequence encoding any of (a) to (c) under washing conditions of 12-20° C. below the calculated Tm of the hybrid of the DNA sequence of the mutein and the complement in 2×SSC and 0.5% SDS for 5 minutes and which reduces collagen synthesis; and

f) a salt or fused protein of (a) to (e),

wherein the method reduces collagen synthesis.

26. The method of claim 25 , wherein the substance is a monomer or dimer.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein the substance is glycosylated at one or more sites.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein the substance is a fused protein and wherein the fused protein comprises an immunoglobulin (Ig) fusion.

29. The method of claim 28 , wherein the Ig fusion is an Fc fusion.

30. The method of claim 25 , wherein the substance comprises at least one moiety attached to one or more functional groups, which occur as one or more side chains on the amino acid residues.

31. The method of claim 30 , wherein the moiety is a polyethylene glycol moiety.

32. The method of claim 25 , wherein progression and symptoms are inhibited.

33. A method for treating or inhibiting progression or symptoms of a fibrotic disease selected from scleroderma, fibrosis of the liver, liver cirrhosis, fibrosis of the kidney, fibrosis of the lung, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, fibrosis of the skin, Dupuytrent's contracture, keloid, scarring and fibrosis of the pancreas comprising administering to a patient in need of treatment thereof a therapeutically effective amount of a substance selected from the group consisting of:

a) a polypeptide comprising SEQ ID NO: 13;

b) a mutein of (a), wherein the amino acid sequence has at least 90% identity to the sequence in (a);

c) a mutein of (a) which is encoded by a DNA sequence which hybridizes to the complement of the DNA sequence encoding (a) under washing conditions of 12-20° C. below the calculated Tm of the hybrid of the DNA sequence of the mutein and the complement in 2×SSC and 0.5% SDS for 5 minutes and which reduces collagen synthesis; and

d) a salt or fused protein of (a) to (c).

34. The method of claim 33 , wherein the substance is a monomer or dimer.

35. The method of claim 34 , wherein the substance is glycosylated at one or more sites.

36. The method of claim 35 , wherein the substance is a fused protein and wherein the fused protein comprises an immunoglobulin (Ig) fusion.

37. The method of claim 36 , wherein the Ig fusion is an Fc fusion.

38. The method of claim 33 , wherein the substance comprises at least one moiety attached to one or more functional groups, which occur as one or more side chains on the amino acid residues.

39. The method of claim 38 , wherein the moiety is a polyethylene glycol moiety.

40. The method of claim 33 , wherein progression and symptoms are inhibited.