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Abstract

The present invention relates to molecules preferably of polypeptide nature with negative regulatory activity on the amount or activity of TGF-β through direct interaction with pro-TGF-β, and containing as active region a cysteine-rich polypeptide sequence defined as “EMI domain”, or its subfragments, wherein said “EMI domain” has at least 25% sequence homology to the ID NO2 sequence for pharmaceutical use. Even more preferably said polypeptide sequence consists of the EMI domain of the following proteins: emilin-1, emilin-2 and/or multimerin-2 or their subfragments having a length of at least 6 amino acids, capable of inhibiting the conversion of pro-TGFβ to mature TGFβ as anti-hypertensive drugs and polypeptides active on the cardiovascular system. The invention extends to the use of molecules which are known to negatively regulate TGF-β and to molecules which interfere with TGF-β binding to its receptors, or to inhibitors of TGF-β mRNA synthesis or TGF-β expression for the same therapeutic uses as anti-hypertensive drugs and polypeptides active on the cardiovascular system.

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First Claim