it has been found recently that hexapeptides with l or d basic amino acids in position a 1 , a 4 and / or a 6 , aromatic l or d amino acids in position a 2 and / or a 3 and / or aromatic or aliphatic l or d amino acids in position a 5 have the same affinity for the opioid - like receptor orl1 as nociceptin with binding in the nanomolar range ( dooley , c , t et . al ., binding and in vitro activities of peptides with high affinity for nociceptin / orphanin fq receptor , orl1 . journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics , ( 1997 ) vol . 283 , no . 2 : 735 - 741 ). accordingly , in a first aspect , the present invention relates to the use of a compound of the general formula i a . sup . 1 is arg , lys , his , d - arg , d - lys , d - his , acylated arg , acylated lys , acylated his , acylated d - arg , acylated d - lys or acylated d - his ; a . sup . 5 is phe , tyr , trp , iie , d - phe , d - tyr , d - trp or d - iie ; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , for the preparation of a pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of type ii diabetes , septic shock , inflammation and vasomotor disturbances , in particular the peripheral vasomotor effects known as hot flushes or hot flashes . in one embodiment of the invention the compound of the formula i is selected from the group consisting of ( all of which , e . g ., are produced using commonly known solid phase peptide synthesis technology ). in another embodiment of the invention the composition is in a form suitable for oral , nasal , transdermal , pulmonal , or parenteral administration . in a further embodiment of the first aspect the compound of the formula i is administered as a dose in the range from about 0 . 001 to about 10 g per patient per day , preferably from about 1 to about 1000 mg per patient per day , especially from about 10 to about 100 mg per patient per day , e . g . about 100 mg per patient per day . in still another embodiment of the first aspect the amino acids are all in either the d or l stereochemical configuration , preferably the l stereochemical configuration . however , the compounds of the invention may comprise both l and d amino acids . in a second aspect the invention relates to a method for the treatment or prevention of migraine , type ii diabetes , sepsis , inflammation and / or vasomotor disturbances , in particular the peripheral vasomotor effects known as hot flushes or hot flashes , the method comprising administering to a patient in need thereof an effective amount of compound of the formula i or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof . the therapeutically effective amount of a compound of the formula i will depend upon the mode of administration , on the therapy desired , the form in which administered , the subject to be treated , the body weight of the subject to be treated , and the preference and experience of the physician or veterinarian in charge . in one embodiment of the second aspect the compound of the formula i is administered as a dose with an effective amount in the range from about 0 . 001 to about 10 g per patient per day , preferably from about 1 to about 1000 mg per patient per day , especially from about 10 to about 100 mg per patient per day , e . g . about 100 mg per patient per day . within its scope the invention includes the d and / or l stereochemical configuration of all the amino acids which constitute the compound of the formula i . as used herein the term &# 34 ; patient &# 34 ; comprises any mammal which may benefit from treatment or prevention of vasomotor disturbances , such as a human , especially if the mammal is a female , such as a woman . however , &# 34 ; patient &# 34 ; is not intended to be limited to a woman . the compounds intended to be embraced by the present invention are such peptides which are disclosed in journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics , ( 1997 ) vol . 283 , no . 2 : 735 - 741 . as used herein the term &# 34 ; treatment &# 34 ; is also meant to comprise prophylactic treatment . within the present invention , the compound of the formula i may be prepared in the form of pharmaceutically acceptable salts , especially acid - addition salts , including salts of organic acids and mineral acids . examples of such salts include salts of organic acids such as formic acid , fumaric acid , acetic acid , propionic acid , glycolic acid , lactic acid , pyruvic acid , oxalic acid , succinic acid , malic acid , tartaric acid , citric acid , benzoic acid , salicylic acid and the like . suitable inorganic acid - addition salts include salts of hydrochloric , hydrobromic , sulphuric and phosphoric acids and the like . further examples of pharmaceutically acceptable inorganic or organic acid addition salts include the pharmaceutically acceptable salts listed in journal of pharmaceutical science , 66 , 2 ( 1977 ) which are known to the skilled artisan . also intended as pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts are the hydrates which the present compounds of the formula i are able to form . the acid addition salts may be obtained as the direct products of compound synthesis . in the alternative , the free base may be dissolved in a suitable solvent containing the appropriate acid , and the salt isolated by evaporating the solvent or otherwise separating the salt and solvent . the compounds of the formula i of this invention may form solvates with standard low molecular weight solvents using methods known to a person skilled in the art . the compound of the formula i may be administered in pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt form . such salt forms are believed to exhibit approximately the same order of activity as the free base forms . a pharmaceutical composition for use in accordance with the present invention comprises one or more compounds of the formula i as active ingredient ( s ), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , together with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or diluent . pharmaceutical compositions containing compounds of the formula i of the present invention may be prepared by conventional techniques , e . g ., as described in remington : the science and practise of pharmacy , 19 th ed ., 1995 . the compositions may appear in conventional forms , for example capsules , tablets , aerosols , solutions , suspensions or topical applications . typical compositions include hexapeptides or a pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt thereof , associated with a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient which may be a carrier or a diluent or be diluted by a carrier , or enclosed within a carrier which can be in the form of a capsule , sachet , paper or other container . in making the compositions , conventional techniques for the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions may be used . for example , the active compound will usually be mixed with a carrier , or diluted by a carrier , or enclosed within a carrier which may be in the form of an ampule , capsule , sachet , paper , or other container . when the carrier serves as a diluent , it may be solid , semi - solid , or liquid material which acts as a vehicle , excipient , or medium for the active compound . the active compound can be adsorbed on a granular solid container , for example in a sachet . some examples of suitable carriers are water , salt solutions , alcohols , polyethylene glycols , polyhydroxyethoxylated castor oil , peanut oil , olive oil , gelatin , lactose , terra alba , sucrose , cyclodextrin , amylose , magnesium stearate , talc , agar , pectin , acacia , stearic acid or lower alkyl ethers of cellulose , silicic acid , fatty acids , fatty acid amines , fatty acid monoglycerides and diglycerides , pentaerythritol fatty acid esters , polyoxyethylene , hydroxymethylcellulose and polyvinylpyrrolidone . similarly , the carrier or diluent may include any sustained release material known in the art , such as glyceryl monostearate or glyceryl distearate , alone or mixed with a wax . the formulations may also include wetting agents , emulsifying and suspending agents , preserving agents , sweetening agents or flavoring agents . the formulations of the invention may be formulated so as to provide quick , sustained , or delayed release of the active ingredient after administration to the patient by employing procedures well known in the art . the pharmaceutical compositions can be sterilized and mixed , if desired , with auxiliary agents , emulsifiers , salt for influencing osmotic pressure , buffers and / or coloring substances and the like , which do not deleteriously react with the active compounds . the route of administration may be any route which effectively transports the active compound to the appropriate or desired site of action , such as oral , nasal , pulmonary , transdermal or parenteral , e . g ., rectal , depot , subcutaneous , intravenous , intraurethral , intramuscular , intranasal , ophthalmic solution or an ointment . if a solid carrier is used for oral administration , the preparation may be tabletted , placed in a hard gelatin capsule in powder or pellet form or it can be in the form of a troche or lozenge . if a liquid carrier is used , the preparation may be in the form of a syrup , emulsion , soft gelatin capsule or sterile injectable liquid such as an aqueous or non - aqueous liquid suspension or solution . for nasal administration , the preparation may contain a compound of formula i dissolved or suspended in a liquid carrier , in particular an aqueous carrier , for aerosol application . the carrier may contain additives such as solubilizing agents , e . g ., propylene glycol , surfactants , absorption enhancers such as lecithin ( phosphatidylcholine ) or cyclodextrin , or preservatives such as parabens . for parenteral application , particularly suitable are injectable solutions or suspensions , preferably aqueous solutions with the active compound dissolved in polyhydroxylated castor oil . tablets , dragees , or capsules having talc and / or a carbohydrate carrier or binder or the like are particularly suitable for oral application . preferable carriers for tablets , dragees , or capsules include lactose , corn starch , and / or potato starch . a syrup or elixir can be used in cases where a sweetened vehicle can be employed . a typical tablet which may be prepared by conventional tabletting techniques may contain : ______________________________________core : active compound ( as free compound or salt thereof ) 100 mgcolloidal silicon dioxide ( aerosil ) 1 . 5 mgcellulose , microcryst . ( avicel ) 70 mgmodified cellulose gum ( ac - di - sol ) 7 . 5 mgmagnesium stearate ad . coating : hpmc approx . 9 mg * mywacett 9 - 40 t approx . 0 . 9 mg______________________________________ * acylated monoglyceride used as plasticizer for film coating . any novel feature or combination of features described herein is considered essential to this invention . male sprague dawley rats ( 300 ± 25 g ) were anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium ( 50 mg / kg i . p .) and polyethylene catheters were positioned in both femoral veins for the intravenous administration of drugs , such as nociceptin and analogues , and into the left femoral artery in order to measure arterial blood pressure and heart rate . the trachea was cannulated with polyethylene tubing and the rat was pithed , ventilated and drug treated as described by nuki y . et al . ( effects of dorsal rhizotomy on depressor response to spinal cord stimulation mediated by endogenous calcitonin gene - related peptide in the pithed rat . j . neurosurg . 1993 ; 79 : 899 - 904 ). prior administration of nociceptin and related analogs inhibited the depressor response to spinal cord stimulation accordingly : ______________________________________ mean reduc - tion (% of maximal de - dose pressorstructure ( mg / kg ) response ) ______________________________________nociceptin 0 . 1 29 ± 9 0 . 3 23 ± 6ac -- arg -- tyr -- tyr -- arg -- trp -- lys -- nh . sub . 2 0 . 1 54 ± 12 0 . 3 32 ± 7______________________________________ a clear dose - response was observed for the hexapeptide , ac - arg - tyr - tyr - arg - trp - lys - nh 2 . in all animals examined , the effect of both nociceptin and the hexapeptide was seen when repeated a second time after a second non - antagonized depressor response .
the present invention relates to a method of treating migraine , non - insulin dependent diabetes mellitus , sepsis , inflammation and / or vasomotor disturbances . this method utilizes a hexapeptide of formula a . sup . 1 - a . sup . 2 - a . sup . 3 - a . sup . 4 - a . sup . 5 - a . sup . 6 - y wherein a 1 , a 2 , a 3 , a 4 , a 5 , a 6 and y are as defined in the specification .