A radioenzymatic assay to identify three groups of phospholipase A(2) in platelets

Phospholipases A(2) (PLA(2)) are key enzymes in membrane metabolism. The release of fatty acids and lysophospholipids by PLA(2) activates several intra-cellular second messenger cascades that regulate a wide variety of physiological responses. The aim of the present study is to describe a radioenzymatic assay to determine the activity of three main PLA(2) subtypes in platelets, namely extracellular calcium-dependent PLA(2) (sPLA(2)) and intracellular calcium-dependent (cPLA(2)) and calcium-independent PLA(2) (iPLA(2)). The differentiation of these distinct PLA(2) subtypes was based on the enzyme substrate preference (arachdonic acid or palmitoyl acid) and calcium concentration. Our results indicate that this new assay is feasible, precise and specific to measure the activity of the aforementioned subtypes of PLA(2). Therefore, this protocol can be used to investigate modifications of PLA(2) homeostasis in distinct biological models addressing the pathophysiology of many medical and neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterization of suramin binding sites on the human group IIA secreted phospholipase A(2) by site-directed mutagenesis and molecular dynamics simulation

Suramin is a polysulphonated naphthylurea with inhibitory activity against the human secreted group IIA phospholipase A(2) (hsPLA2GIIA), and we have investigated suramin binding to recombinant hsPLA2GIIA using site-directed mutagenesis and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The changes in suramin binding affinity of 13 cationic residue mutants of the hsPLA2GIIA was strongly correlated with alterations in the inhibition of membrane damaging activity of the protein. Suramin binding to hsPLA2GIIA was also studied by MD simulations, which demonstrated that altered intermolecular potential energy of the suramin/mutant complexes was a reliable indicator of affinity change. Although residues in the C-terminal region play a major role in the stabilization of the hsPLA2GIIA/suramin complex, attractive and repulsive hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions with residues throughout the protein together with the adoption of a bent suramin conformation, all contribute to the stability of the complex. Analysis of the h5PLA2GIIA/suramin interactions allows the prediction of the properties of suramin analogues with improved binding and higher affinities which may be candidates for novel phospholipase A(2) inhibitors. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Purification and renal effects of phospholipase A(2) isolated from Bothrops insularis venom

Bothrops insularis venom contains a variety of substances presumably responsible for several pharmacological effects. We investigated the biochemical and biological effects of phospholipase A(2) protein isolated from B. insularis venom and the chromatographic profile showed 7 main fractions and the main phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) enzymatic activity was detected in fractions IV and V. Fraction IV was submitted to a new chromatographic procedure on ion exchange chromatography, which allowed the elution of 5 main fractions designated as lV-1 to IV-5, from which lV-4 constituted the main fraction. The molecular homogeneity of this fraction was characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and demonstrated by mass spectrometry (MS), which showed a molecular mass of 13984.20 Da; its N-terminal sequence presented a high amino acid identity (up to 95%) with the PLA(2) of Bothrops jararaca and Bothrops asper. Phospholipase A(2) isolated from B. insularis (Bi PLA(2)) venom (10 mu g/mL) was also studied as to its effect on the renal function of isolated perfused kidneys of Wistar rats (n = 6). Bi PLA(2) increased perfusion pressure (PP), renal vascular resistance (RVR), urinary flow (UF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Sodium (%TNa+) and chloride tubular reabsorption (%TCl-) decreased at 120 min, without alteration in potassium transport. In conclusion, PLA(2) isolated from B. insularis venom promoted renal alterations in the isolated perfused rat kidney. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Purification and characterization of the biological effects of phospholipase A(2) from sea anemone Bunodosoma caissarum

Sea anemones contain a variety of biologically active substances. Bunodosoma caissarum is a sea anemone from the Cnidaria phylum, found only in Brazilian coastal waters. The aim of the present work was to study the biological effects of PLA(2) isolated from the sea anemone B. caissarum on the isolated perfused kidney, the arteriolar mesenteric bed and on insulin secretion. Specimens of B. caissarum were collected from the Sao Vicente Channel on the southern coast of the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Reverse phase HPLC analysis of the crude extract of B. caissarum detected three PLA(2) proteins (named BcPLA(2)1, BCPLA(2)2 and BcPLA(2)3) found to be active in B. caissarum extracts. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry of BcPLA(2)1 showed one main peak at 14.7 kDa. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of BcPLA(2)1 showed high amino acid sequence identity with PLA(2) group III protein isolated from the Mexican lizard (PA23 HELSU, HELSU, PA22 HELSU) and with the honey bee Apis mellifera (PLA(2) and 1POC_A). In addition, BcPLA(2)1 also showed significant overall homology to bee PLA(2). The enzymatic activity induced by native BCPLA(2)1 (20 mu g/well) was reduced by chemical treatment with p-bromophenacyl bromide (p-BPB) and with morin. BcPLA(2)1 strongly induced insulin secretion in presence of high glucose concentration. In isolated kidney, the PLA(2) from B. caissarum increased the perfusion pressure, renal vascular resistance, urinary flow, glomerular filtration rate, and sodium, potassium and chloride levels of excretion. BcPLA(2)1, however, did not increase the perfusion pressure on the mesenteric vascular bed. In conclusion, PLA(2), a group III phospholipase isolated from the sea anemone B. caissarum, exerted effects on renal function and induced insulin secretion in conditions of high glucose concentration. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Role of phospholipase A(2) and tyrosine kinase in Clostridium difficile toxin A-induced disruption of epithelial integrity, histologic inflammatory damage and intestinal secretion

Clostridium difficile-associated disease causes diarrhea to fulminant colitis and death. We investigated the role of phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) inhibitors, aristolochic acid (AA), bromophenacyl bromide BPB and quinacrine (QUIN) on the C. difficile toxin A-induced disruption of epithelial integrity, histologic inflammatory damage and intestinal secretion. Toxin A caused severe hemorrhagic and inflammatory fluid secretion at 6-8 h in rabbit ileal segments, an effect that was significantly inhibited by QUIN (71%, P < 0.01), AA (87%, P < 0.0001) or by BPB (51%, P < 0.01). The secretory effect of toxin A was also inhibited in segments adjacent to those with AA (89%, P < 0.01). Furthermore, QUIN or AA substantially reduced the histologic damage seen after 6-8 h in rabbit ileal segments. The cyclooxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin, also significantly inhibited (96%; n = 6) the secretory effects of toxin A in ligated rabbit intestinal segments. The destruction by toxin A of F-actin at the light junctions of T-84 cell monolayers was not inhibited by AA or BPB. AA or QUIN had no effect on the T-84 cell tissue resistance reduction over 8-24 h after toxin A exposure. All the inhibitors were shown to be effective in the doses administered direct in ileal loops to inhibit PLA(2) activity. The data suggest that PLA(2) is involved in the major pathway of toxin A-induced histologic inflammatory damage and hemorrhagic fluid secretion. Cop. right (C) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Renal and cardiovascular effects of Bothrops marajoensis venom and phospholipase A(2)

Bothrops marajoensis is found in the savannah of Marajo Island in the State of Par S and regions of Amapa State, Brazil. The aim of the work was to study the renal and cardiovascular effects of the B. marajoensis venom and phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)). The venom was fractionated by Protein Pack 5PW. N-terminal amino acid sequencing of sPLA(2) showed amino acid identity with other lysine K49sPLA(2)s of snake venom. B. marajoensis venom (30 mu g/mL) decreased the perfusion pressure, renal vascular resistance, urinary flow, glomerular filtration rate and sodium tubular transport. PLA(2) did not change the renal parameters. The perfusion pressure of the mesenteric bed did not change after infusion of venom. In isolated heart, the venom decreased the force of contraction and increased PP but did not change coronary flow. In the arterial pressure, the venom and PLA(2) decreased mean arterial pressure and cardiac frequency. The presence of atrial flutter and late hyperpolarisation reversed, indicating QRS complex arrhythmia and dysfunction in atrial conduction. In conclusion, B. marajoensis venom and PLA(2) induce hypotension and bradycardia while simultaneously blocking electrical conduction in the heart. Moreover, the decrease in glomerular filtration rate, urinary flow and electrolyte transport demonstrates physiological changes to the renal system. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Harpalycin 2 inhibits the enzymatic and platelet aggregation activities of PrTX-III, a D49 phospholipase A(2) from Bothrops pirajai venom

Background: Harpalycin 2 (HP-2) is an isoflavone isolated from the leaves of Harpalyce brasiliana Benth., a snakeroot found in northeast region of Brazil and used in folk medicine to treat snakebite. Its leaves are said to be anti-inflammatory. Secretory phospholipases A(2) are important toxins found in snake venom and are structurally related to those found in inflammatory conditions in mammals, as in arthritis and atherosclerosis, and for this reason can be valuable tools for searching new anti-phospholipase A(2) drugs.Methods: HP-2 and piratoxin-III (PrTX-III) were purified through chromatographic techniques. The effect of HP-2 in the enzymatic activity of PrTX-III was carried out using 4-nitro-3-octanoyloxy-benzoic acid as the substrate. PrTX-III induced platelet aggregation was inhibited by HP-2 when compared to aristolochic acid and p-bromophenacyl bromide (p-BPB). In an attempt to elucidate how HP-2 interacts with PrTX-III, mass spectrometry, circular dichroism and intrinsic fluorescence analysis were performed. Docking scores of the ligands (HP-2, aristolochic acid and p-BPB) using PrTX-III as target were also calculated.Results: HP-2 inhibited the enzymatic activity of PrTX-III (IC50 11.34 +/- 0.28 mu g/mL) although it did not form a stable chemical complex in the active site, since mass spectrometry measurements showed no difference between native (13,837.34 Da) and HP-2 treated PrTX-III (13,856.12 Da). A structural analysis of PrTX-III after treatment with HP-2 showed a decrease in dimerization and a slight protein unfolding. In the platelet aggregation assay, HP-2 previously incubated with PrTX-III inhibited the aggregation when compared with untreated protein. PrTX-III chemical treated with aristolochic acid and p-BPB, two standard PLA(2) inhibitors, showed low inhibitory effects when compared with the HP-2 treatment. Docking scores corroborated these results, showing higher affinity of HP-2 for the PrTX-III target (PDB code: 1GMZ) than aristolochic acid and p-BPB. HP-2 previous incubated with the platelets inhibits the aggregation induced by untreated PrTX-III as well as arachidonic acid.Conclusion: HP-2 changes the structure of PrTX-III, inhibiting the enzymatic activity of this enzyme. In addition, PrTX-III platelet aggregant activity was inhibited by treatment with HP-2, p-BPB and aristolochic acid, and these results were corroborated by docking scores.

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.

Crotoxin alters lymphocyte distribution in rats: Involvement of adhesion molecules and lipoxygenase-derived mediators

Crotoxin is the main neurotoxic component of Crotalus durissus terrificus snake venom and modulates immune and inflammatory responses, interfering with the activity of leukocytes. In the present work, the effects of crotoxin on the number of blood and lymphatic leukocytes and on lymph nodes and spleen lymphocytes population were investigated. The toxin s.c. administered to male Wistar rats, decreases the number of lymphocytes in blood and lymph circulation and increases the content of B and T-lymphocytes in lymph nodes. These effects were detected 1-2 h after treatment. The crotoxin molecule is composed of two subunits, an acidic non-toxic polypeptide, named crotapotin and a toxic basic phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)). PLA(2), but not crotapotin, decreased the number of circulating blood and lymph lymphocytes. Crotoxin promotes leukocyte adherence to endothelial cells of blood microcirculation and to lymph node high endothelial venules, which might contribute to the drop in the number of circulating lymphocytes. Crotoxin increases expression of the adhesion molecule LFA-1 in lymphocytes. The changes in the expression of the adhesion molecule might contribute, at least in part, for the increased leukocyte adhesion to endothelium. Zileuton, a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor, blocked the decrease in the number of circulating leukocytes induced by crotoxin and also abolished the changes observed in leukocyte-endothelial interactions, suggesting the involvement of lipoxygenase-derived mediators in the effects of the toxin. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design of a Modern Liposome and Bee Venom Formulation for the Traditional VIT-Venom Immunotherapy

Traditional venom immunotherapy uses injections of whole bee venom in buffer or adsorbed in Al (OH)(3) in an expensive, time-consuming way. New strategies to improve the safety and efficacy of this treatment with a reduction of injections would, therefore, be of general interest. It would improve patient compliance and provide socio-economic benefits. Liposomes have a long tradition in drug delivery because they increase the therapeutic index and avoid drug degradation and secondary effects. However, bee venom melittin (Mel) and phospholipase (PLA(2)) destroy the phospholipid membranes. Our central idea was to inhibit the PLA(2) and Mel activities through histidine alkylation and or tryptophan oxidation (with pbb, para-bromo-phenacyl bromide, and/or NBSN-bromosuccinimide, respectively) to make their encapsulations possible within stabilized liposomes. We strongly believe that this formulation will be nontoxic but immunogenic. In this paper, we present the whole bee venom conformation characterization during and after chemical modification and after interaction with liposome by ultraviolet, circular dichroism, and fluorescence spectroscopies. The PLA(2) and Mel activities were, measured indirectly by changes in turbidity at 400(nm), rhodamine leak-out, and hemolysis. The native whole bee venom (BV) presented 78.06% of alpha-helical content. The alkylation (A-BV) and succynilation (S-BV) of BV increased 0.44 and 0.20% of its alpha-helical content. The double-modified venom (S-A-BV) had a 0.74% increase of alpha-helical content. The BV chemical modification induced another change on protein conformations observed by Trp that became buried with respect to the native whole BV. It was demonstrated that the liposomal membranes must contain pbb (SPC:Cho:pbb, 26:7:1) as a component to protect them from aggregation and/or fusion. The membranes containing pbb maintained the same turbidity (100%) after incubation with modified venom, in contrast with pbb-free membranes that showed a 15% size decrease. This size decrease was interpreted as membrane degradation and was corroborated by a 50% rhodamine leak-out. Another fact that confirmed our interpretation was the observed 100% inhibition of the hemolytic activity after venom modification with pbb and NBS (S-A-BV). When S-A-BV interacted with liposomes, other protein conformational changes were observed and characterized by the increase of 1.93% on S-A-BV alpha-helical content and the presence of tryptophan residues in a more hydrophobic environment. In other words, the S-A-BV interacted with liposomal membranes, but this interaction was not effective to cause aggregation, leak-out, or fusion. A stable formulation composed by S-A-BV encapsulated within liposomes composed by SPC:Cho:pbb, at a ratio of 26:7:1, was devised. Large unilamellar vesicles of 202.5 nm with a negative surface charge (-24.29 mV) encapsulated 95% of S-A-BV. This formulation can, now, be assayed on VIT.

Characterization of a new platelet aggregating factor from crotoxin Crotalus durissus cascavella venom

In this article we investigated the platelet aggregating activity of whole crotoxin and its subunits isolated from Crotalus durissus cascavella venom. During the purification protocols of the venom, using HPLC molecular exclusion, we detected the presence of two different serine protease activities in the gyroxin fraction, and another in the crotoxin fraction, which induced strong and irreversible platelet aggregation, in addition to blood coagulation. From crotoxin, we isolated PLA(2), crotapotin (both fractions corresponding approximately 85% of whole crotoxin) and another minor fraction (F20) that exhibited serine protease activity. After a new fractionation on reverse phase HPLC chromatography, we obtained three other fractions named as F201, F202 and F203. F202 was obtained with high degree of molecular homogeneity with molecular mass of approximately 28 kDa and a high content of acidic amino residues, such as aspartic acid and glutamic acid. Other important amino acids were histidine, cysteine and lysine. This protein exhibited a high specificity for BApNA, a Michaelis-Menten behavior with Vmax estimated in 5.64 mu M/min and a Km value of 0.58 mM for this substrate. In this work, we investigated the ability of F202 to degrade fibrinogen and observed alpha and beta chain cleavage. Enzymatic as well as the platelet aggregation activities were strongly inhibited when incubated with TLCK and PMSF, specific inhibitors of serine protease. Also, F202 induced platelet aggregation in washed and platelet-rich plasma, and in both cases, TLCK inhibited its activity. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of F202 presented a high amino acid sequence homology with other thrombin-like proteins, but it was significantly different from gyroxin. These results showed that crotoxin is a highly heterogeneous protein composed of PLA(2), thrombin-like and other fractions that might explain the diversity of physiological and pharmacological activities of this protein.

Inhibition of the myotoxic activity of Bothrops jararacussu venom and its two major myotoxins, BthTX-I and BthTX-II, by the aqueous extract of Tabernaemontana catharinensis A. DC. (Apocynaceae)

Partial neutralization of the myotoxic effect of Bothrops jararacussu venom (BV) and two of its myotoxins [bothropstoxin-I (BthTX-I), catalytically inactive, and II (BthTX-II), showing low PLA(2) activity], by the lyophilized aqueous extract of Tabernaemontana catharinensis (AE), was studied in rat isolated soleus muscle preparations (in vitro) and through i.m. injection in the gastrocnemius muscle (in vivo) by determination of creatine kinase (CK) activity and histopathological analysis. Incubation of soleus muscle for 1 h with BV or toxins (20 mug/ml) plus AE (400 mug/ml) added immediately after BV, BthTX-I or BthTX-II reduced CK levels by 53%, 37% and 56%, respectively. The myonecrotic effects of BV (20 mug/ml) upon soleus muscle was reduced 24%, 35% and 36% when AE (400 mug/ml) was added 1 h after BV and CK was evaluated 30 min, 1 and 2 h later, respectively. For BthTX-I these values were 46%, 48% and 47%, while for BthTX-II no inhibitory effect was detected. Histological analysis of soleus muscle after incubation with AE (400 mug/ml, I h) did not reveal any change in muscle fibers, but severe necrosis induced by -BV or toxins (20 mug/ml) was clearly in evidence, and decreased significantly when soleus muscle was protected by AE. This protection was also observed when AE was administered 1 h after BV or BthTX-I, but not after BthTX-II. AE did not inhibit the catalytic PLA(2), activity of BthTX-II or BV and did not change the PAGE pattern of BV, BthTX-I or BthTX-II. In vivo assays were performed in 100-g rats and maximal CK release was attained at a dose of 100 mug of BV, 3 h after injection. AE was not effective when injected 20 s after BV or toxins. However, injecting BV or toxins (100 mug), which were pre-incubated with AE (2 mg) caused an inhibition of 57%, 59% and 51%, respectively, with zero time pre-incubation, but was less effective with I h pre-incubation. This plant represents a potential source of promising myotoxin inhibitors. (C) 2004 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.