Characterization and cloning of a novel phospholipase A(2) from the venom of Trimeresurus jerdonii snake

A phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) called jerdoxin, was isolated from Trimeresurus jerdonni snake venom and partially characterized. The protein was purified by three chromatographic steps. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence or absence of dithiothreitol showed that it had a molecular mass of 15 kDa. Jerdoxin had an enzymatic activity of 39.4 mumol/min/mg towards egg yolk phosphatidyl choline (PC). It induced edema in the footpads of mice. In addition, jerdoxin exhibited indirect hemolytic activity. About 97% hemolysis was observed when 2 mug/ml enzyme was incubated for 90 min in the presence of PC and Ca2+. No detectable hemolysis was noticed when PC was not added. Ca2+ was necessary for jerdoxin to exert its hemolytic activity, since only 52% hemolysis was seen when Ca2+ was absent in the reaction mixture. Furthermore, jerdoxin inhibited ADP induced rabbit platelet aggregation and the inhibition was dose dependent with an IC50 of 1.0 muM. The complete amino acid sequence of jerdoxin deduced from cDNA sequence shared high homology with other snake venom PLA(2)s, especially the D49 PLA(2)s. Also, the residues concerned to Ca2+ binding were conserved. This is the first report of cDNA sequence of T jerdonii venom PLA(2). (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biochemical and biological properties of Trimeresurus jerdonii venom and characterization of a platelet aggregation-inhibiting acidic phospholipase A(2)

Several biochemical and biological activities such as phospholipase A(2), arginine esterase, proteolytic, L-amino acid oxidase, 5'nucleotidase, acetylcholinesterase, thrombin-like, anticoagulant, and hemorrhagic activities were determined for whole desiccated venom of Trimeresurus jerdonii. An acidic phospholipase (named TJ-PLA(2)) was purified by anionic exchange chromatography, gel filtration, and reverse phase HPLC. TJ-PLA(2) had a molecular weight of 16,000 and a pI of 4.8. TJ-PLA(2) was non-lethal to mice up to an i.p. dose of 15 mg/kg body weight and lacked neurotoxicity and myotoxicity. It induced edema in the footpads of mice. The purified enzyme inhibited ADP- and collagen-induced human platelet aggregation in a manner which was both dose- and time-dependent.

Purification, characterization and cytokine release function of a novel Arg-49 phospholipase A(2) from the venom of Protobothrops mucrosquamatus

Group IIA phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) are major components in Viperidae/Crotalidae venom. In the present study, a novel PLA(2) named promutoxin with Arg at the site 49 has been purified from the venom of Protobothrops muerosquamatus by chromatography. It

N49 phospholipase A(2), a unique subgroup of snake venom group II phospholipase A(2)

A novel phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) with Asn at its site 49 was purified from the snake venom of Protobothrops mucrosquamatus by using SP-Sephadex C25, Superdex 75, Heparin-Sepharose (FF) and HPLC reverse-phage C-18 chromatography and designated as TM-N49

Fluorescence analysis of phospholipase A(2) isolated from Chinese agkistrodon blomhoffii Ussurensis venom

The general and synchronous spectra of phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) isolated from Chinese agkistrodon blomhoffii Ussurensis snake venom were studied. The chromophores of PLA(2) were mainly contributed by tyrosine and tryptophane residues when the intervals between the excitation wavelength and the emssion waveleagth (Delta lambda) were 20nm and 75nm, respectively. The pH of buffers could change the fluorescence intensities of PLA(2) by changing the charge distribution of its amino acid chain. Ca2+ can not only increase the emission fluorescence intensity of PLA(2) but also improve the reaction rate of PLA(2) with its corresponding substrate DPPC.

聚乳酸与聚丙撑碳酸酯共混体系研究

近年来，由于“白色污染”日益严重，开发可降解塑料已成为世界范围的研究热点。聚乳酸（PLA）是人工合成的热塑性脂肪族聚酯。由于其具有良好的生物降解性能，优异的生物相容性和生物可吸收性，在医学领域已被认为是最具有前途的可降解生物高分子材料。PLA还具有较高的弹性模量和硬度，可以用于包装材料。在环保要求的推动下，人们对PLA产生了进一步的研究兴趣和重视，开始了将其作为通用塑料替代产品的探索和开发。但是PLA具有自身的不足之处：热稳定性较差，脆性严重。这些对产品的性能影响较大，严重阻碍了PLA市场的进一步扩大。本论文选用同样可生物降解的聚丙撑碳酸酯（PPC）与PLA进行共混，在确保共混物生物降解的前提下，改善PLA的加工性能和提高PLA的韧性，为PLA的应用奠定基础。 1．通过熔融共混的方法制备了一系列不同比例的PLA/PPC共混物。通过DSC和力学性能测试的方法对不同比例的共混物的相容性、力学性能、及其流变性能进行研究。研究结果表明PLA与PPC是不相容的。当PLA/PPC的共混比例为50/50时共混体系有较好的力学性能。但是PPC的加入不能有效的改善PLA的韧性。 2．PPC在室温为玻璃态，这可能是PPC不能直接增韧PLA的主要原因。采用增塑的方法降低PPC的玻璃化转变温度，磷酸三丁酯、邻苯二甲酸二丁酯、乙酰化柠檬酸三乙酯都可以作为PPC的增塑剂，其中乙酰化柠檬酸三乙酯的增塑效果最好。乙酰化柠檬酸三乙酯对PLA虽然也有一定的增塑作用，但是对PLA的增塑效果不如PPC的明显。 3．考虑到用增塑的PPC去增韧PLA会发生增塑剂在共混物中的重新分配， 本工作同时也对PLA/PPC/ATEC三元共混体系进行了研究。两种共混体系都是不相容体系。增塑的PPC（100PPC/5ATEC）在与PLA的共混过程中会发生增塑剂的重新分配。增塑剂的加入有效地改善了体系的力学性能，体系的断裂伸长率、冲击强度有明显的提高，但与增塑剂加入的先后顺序无关。

可生物降解聚合物药物载体及其制备技术

药物释放体系因其具有提高药物的疗效，降低药物的毒副作用，减少药物的服用次数，拓宽给药途径等特点，而成为近几年来人们研究的热点。生物可降解高分子，由于它们在体内可以降解，降解产物可以被机体吸收或代谢，不存在积累在体内的危险，因此成为药物释放体系的载体的首选材料。特别是脂肪族聚酷类高分子，在与聚乙二醇形成嵌段共聚物后，不仅具有生物可降解性，而月＿大大地改善了材料与人体的生物相容性，作为药物载体材料时，延长了药物在体内的循环时间，降低了免疫响应性，引起了人们的极大兴趣。因此本论文主要是以MPEG-PLA两嵌段聚合物为药物的载体材料，详细研究了高分子量的MPEG-PLA两嵌段聚合物对紫杉醇的包裹，研究了MPEG-PLA和PLGA聚合物合金对胰岛素固体粉末的包裹，以及低分子量的MPEG-PLA的紫杉醇前药的合成、表征和由它制备而成的胶束的一些性质，取得了一些有意义的结果：1、采用改进的O／W乳液法，用高分子量的MPEG-PLA嵌段共聚物实现了对紫杉醇的纳米化包裹，并证实了聚合物的分子量对所制备的纳米微球的粒径的影响：分子量越大，粒径越大。同时发现了微球粒径越小，药物的包裹量越低。2、用扫描电镜（SEM）、光电子能谱（XPS）、差热分析（DSC）对纳米微球进行了分析和测定，结果表明，微球的尺寸在30Om-800nm范围，紫杉醇在纳米微球的表面几乎不存在，而是以无定形的状态分布在纳米微球中。3、对纳米微球中紫杉醇体外释放行为进行了侧定。它们显现出了明显的双相行为，即在初期释放速度很快，随后的释放速度变慢。同时，研究了MPEG-PLA的分子量对释放行为的影响：聚合物分子量越大，紫杉醇释放的速度就越慢。4、用固体粉末法和双乳液法对胰岛素进行了包裹，其中固体粉末法采用的是PLGA和MPEG-PLA两聚合物的混合溶液对纳米胰岛素颗粒进行了包裹，包裹率分析表明：固体粉末法对药物的包裹率高于双乳液法。所得的微球都是很好的球形，其尺寸在1-3um左右，它的剖面是核壳结构，胰岛素以晶粒的形式被包裹在微球中间。5、对固体粉末法和双乳液法制备的微球的体外释放行为进行了对比，发现由两种聚合物合金制备的微球的暴释现象得到了缓解，同时发现两种聚合物的配比不一样，其暴释缓解的程度不一样。6、以辛酸亚锡为催化剂成功地合成了低分子量的MPEG-PLA两嵌段聚合物。二经基乙酸配与过量的叔丁醇在DMAP存在下反应，成功制得了二轻基乙酸单叔丁酷。MPEG-PLA的端经基与二经基乙酸单叔丁酷在DCC参与下脱水酷化再将叔丁基去保护，便得到端梭基的MPEG-PLA。7、端基为梭基的MPEG-PLA与紫杉醇的2’-羟基或7-轻基进行了酷化反应，制备出MPEG-PLA-紫杉醇前药。8、制备了四种低分子量的MPEG-PLA-紫杉醇前药，用1H NMR和GPC进行了表征分析。紫杉醇前药中紫杉醇的含量最高可达到20％，依赖于MPEG-PLA中PLA段的长度。9、用荧光探针法考察了MPEG-PLA两嵌段聚合物和MPEG-PLA-紫杉醇前药的胶束化行为，发现前药总比相对应的两嵌段聚合物有更低的临界胶束浓度（CMC）。用透射电镜观察了胶束的形貌和尺寸大小，以及接药前后胶束尺寸的变化。发现都是很好的球状胶束，MPEG-PLA两嵌段聚合物和MPEG-PLA-紫杉醇前药胶束的平均粒径分别为25±3nm和33士Znm，说明聚合物在接药后，随着疏水部分分子量的增加，所形成的胶束粒径也增大。

湖南尖吻蝮(D. acutus)蛇毒出血毒素的纯化、性质和溶液构象研究

通过Sephadex G-75凝胶过滤，QAE-Sephadex A-50和CM_Sephadex C-25离子交换的步骤，我们从湖南产尖吻蝮(Dienagkistrodon acutus)蛇毒中纯化出两个出血毒素，分别称之为DaHT-1和DaHT-2。在聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳(PAGE)和SDS-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳中均呈单一蛋白带，显示两个出血毒素皆为电泳纯。DaHT-1和DaHT-2的分子量相同，都为23,500道尔顿，具有相似的氨基酸组成，其中酸性氨基酸(Asx和GLx)分别占23%和24%。经等电聚焦(IEF)测得它们的等电点分别为5.6和5.2。两个出血毒素具有较强的出血活性(MHD分别为0.5和0.8μg)，都具蛋白水解酶活力，无精氨酸水解酶和PLA~2活性，但蛋白水解酶活性与出血活性并非正相关。DaHT-1，DaHT-2的最适温度分别为35 ℃，40 ℃；最适pH为6-9。对热不稳定，温度变高于60 ℃，活性完全丧失。在中性和碱性条件下稳定，在酸性条件下不稳定，pH<3，出血活性丧失。EDTA完全抑制，半胱氨酸部分抑制它们的出血活性，表明两个出血毒素都是依赖金属离子的蛋白酶，且二硫键对其活性是必需的。金属离子的分析表明每摩尔毒蛋白大约含0.5摩尔的Zn，1摩尔的Ca，较多的Na，K。Mg，不含Co。两者是糖蛋白，含糖总量分别为11%和7%。用远紫外CD谱探讨DaHT-1和DaHT-2的溶液构象所得DaHT-1的α-螺旋，β-折叠和无规卷曲分别为36.9%，27.6%和31.4%；DaHT-2的α-螺旋，β-折迭和无规卷曲分别为23.4%，37.3%和45.3%。随着pH的增大或减少，DaHT-1和DaHT-2的峰位蓝移，在酸性条件下的变化比在碱性条件下大，计算表明：α-螺旋减少，无规卷曲增多，β-折迭基本未变。温度的影响和pH相似，50 ℃时峰位蓝移，α-螺旋减少，无规卷曲增多。EDTA对其影响很大，0.02M EDTA便导致两个出血毒素呈极度的无序状态。

Partial characterization of the hemolytic activity of the nematocyst venom from the jellyfish Cyanea nozakii Kishinouye

Using a recently developed technique to extract jellyfish venom from nematocysts, the present study investigated the hemolytic activity of Cyanea nozakii Kishinouye nematocyst venom on chicken erythrocytes. Venom extract caused a significant concentration-dependent hemolytic effect. The extract could retain its activity at -80 degrees C but was unstable when kept at 4 degrees C and -20 degrees C for 2 days. The hemolytic activity was inhibited by heating within the range of 37-100 degrees C. The extract was active over a pH range of 5.0-8.63 and the pH optima for the extract was 7.8. Incubation of the venom with sphingomyelin specially inhibited hemolytic activity by up to 70%. Cu2+ and Mn2+ greatly reduced the hemolytic activity while Mg2+, Sr2+ and Ba2+ produced a relatively low inhibiting effect on the hemolytic activity. Treatment with Ca2+ induced a concentration-dependent increase in the hemolytic activity. In the presence of 5 mM EDTA, all the hemolytic activity was lost, however, the venom containing 1.5 mM EDTA was stable in the long-term storage. PLA(2) activity was also found in the nematocyst venom of C. nozakii. These characteristics provide us a fundamental knowledge in the C. nozakii nematocyst venom which would benefit future research. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Comparative study of paclitaxel physically encapsulated in and chemically conjugated with PEG-PLA

Paclitaxel-loaded poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(L-lactide (LA)) (PEG-PLA) micelles were prepared by two methods. One is physical encapsulation of paclitaxel in micelles composed of a PEG-PLA block copolymer and the other is based on a PEG-PLA-paclitaxel conjugate, abbreviated as "conjugate micelles" Their physicochemical characteristics, e.g. critical micelle concentration (CMC), morphology, and micelle size distribution were then evaluated by means of fluorescence spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The results show that the CMC of PEG-PLA-paclitaxel and PEG-PLA are 6.31 x 10(4) and 1.78 x 10(-3) g L-1, respectively. Both micelles assume a spherical shape with comparable diameters and have unimodal size distribution. Moreover, in vitro drug delivery behavior was studied by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The antitumor activity of the paclitaxel-loaded micelles against human liver cancer H7402 cells was evaluated by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) method.

Synthesis and characterization of the paclitaxel/MPEG-PLA block copolymer conjugate

A paclitaxel/MPEG-PLA block copolymer conjugate was prepared in three steps: (1) hydroxyl-terminated diblock copolymer of monomethoxy-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(lactide) (MPEG-PLA) was synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of L-lactide using MPEG as a maroinitiator, (2) it was converted to carboxyl-terminated MPEG-PLA by reacting with mono-i-butyl ester of diglycolic acid and subsequent deprotecting the t-butyl group with TFA; (3) the latter was reacted with paclitaxel in the presence of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and dimethylaminopyridine. Structures of the polymers synthesized were confirmed by H-1 NMR, and their molecular weights were determined by gel permeation chromatography. The antitumor activity of the conjugate against human liver cancer H7402 cells was evaluated by MTT method. The results showed that paclitaxel can be released from the conjugate without losing cytotoxicity.