ABSTRACT
Thrombin, the central bioregulatory enzyme of haemostasis, also has a potent vasopermeability effect on the surface of endothelial cells, and has therefore been considered a major link between the activation of the coagulation pathway and inflammation. C1 inhibitor inhibits thrombin with a low second-order rate constant that can be increased by heparin. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the C1 inhibitor-induced inhibition of thrombin is potentiated on the endothelial surface. The interaction of C1 inhibitor and thrombin was evaluated in an in-vitro system of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to which purified C1 inhibitor and thrombin have been added. The role of heparins and selectins has been tested by adding heparinase and Mab to selectins. Kinetic analysis under pseudo-first-order conditions showed that the inhibitory effect of C1 inhibitor on thrombin is greater on the surface of endothelial cells. After incubating nanomolar concentrations of thrombin and micromolar concentrations of C1 inhibitor in a purified system, thrombin activity remained significant, but was almost totally suppressed in the presence of HUVECs. The abolition of such suppression by heparinase and Mab to selectins supports the involvement of heparin and selectins in C1 inhibitor-thrombin interaction. Furthermore, the second-order rate constant was 25â±â3â/s per mol/l in our purified system, but increased to 100â±â9â/s per mol/l in the presence of HUVECs. Our results indicate that C1 inhibitor can inhibit thrombin activity on vascular endothelium via binding to selectins and potentiation by heparins. This may contribute to the modulation of thrombin activity on vasopermeability and on coagulation especially when the major natural anticoagulant pathways are impaired.
Subject(s)
Blood Coagulation/drug effects , Complement C1 Inhibitor Protein/pharmacology , Endothelium, Vascular/metabolism , Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells/metabolism , Thrombin/pharmacology , Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology , Blood Coagulation/physiology , Capillary Permeability/drug effects , Cells, Cultured , Complement C1 Inhibitor Protein/metabolism , Endothelium, Vascular/cytology , Endothelium, Vascular/drug effects , Hemostasis/drug effects , Heparin/metabolism , Heparin/pharmacology , Heparin Lyase/metabolism , Heparin Lyase/pharmacology , Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells/cytology , Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells/drug effects , Humans , Kinetics , Protein Binding/drug effects , Selectins/metabolism , Thrombin/antagonists & inhibitors , Thrombin/metabolismABSTRACT
We have studied the effect of DX-88, a selective recombinant inhibitor of human plasma kallikrein, in transient or permanent focal brain ischemia (with or without reperfusion, respectively) induced in C57BL/6 mice. Twenty-four hours after transient ischemia, DX-88 administered at the beginning of ischemia (pre) induced a dose-dependent reduction of ischemic volume that, at the dose of 30 microg/mouse, reached 49% of the volume of saline-treated mice. At the same dose, DX-88 was also able to reduce brain swelling to 32%. Mice treated with DX-88 pre had significantly lower general and focal deficit score. Fluoro-Jade staining, a marker for neuronal degeneration, showed that DX-88-treated mice had a reduction in the number of degenerating cells, compared with saline-treated mice. Seven days after transient ischemia, the DX-88 protective effect was still present. When the inhibitor was injected at the end of ischemia (post), it was still able to reduce ischemic volume, brain swelling, and neurological deficits. DX-88 efficacy was lost when the inhibitor was given 30 min after the beginning of reperfusion (1 h post) or when reperfusion was not present (permanent occlusion model). This study shows that DX-88 has a strong neuroprotective effect in the early phases of brain ischemia preventing reperfusion injury and indicates that inhibition of plasma kallikrein may be a useful tool in the strategy aimed at reducing the detrimental effects linked to reperfusion.
