Identification and biological activity of the active metabolite of clopidogrel.

Like ticlopidine, the ADP receptor antagonist clopidogrel is inactive in vitro and must be administered i.v. or orally to exhibit antiaggregatory and antithrombotic activities. We have previously shown that hepatic metabolism is necessary for activity. This study demonstrates that an active metabolite can be generated from human liver microsomes incubated with clopidogrel. Using several analytical methodologies (LC/MS, NMR, chiral supercritical fluid chromatography), we have identified its structure. In vitro, this highly unstable compound, different from that formed from ticlopidine, exhibited all the biological activities of clopidogrel observed ex vivo: Irreversible inhibition of the binding of 33P-2MeS-ADP to washed human platelets (IC50) = 0.53 microM), selective inhibition of ADP-induced platelet aggregation (IC)50 = 1.8 microM) and ADP-induced adenylyl cyclase down-regulation. The irreversible modification of the ADP-receptor site which is responsible for the biological activity could be explained by the formation of a disulfide bridge between the reactive thiol group of the active metabolite and a cysteine residue of the platelet ADP receptor.

Purification and characterization of a novel protease from culture filtrates of a Streptomyces sp.

A fibrinolytic protease has been isolated from Streptomyces sp. culture filtrate by successive chromatography on Mono S and Sephadex G50. The purified protease had a molecular mass of 33 kDa and had an isoelectric point of 6.7. It showed a sharp pH optimum at 7.8 with maximal protease activity between 35 degrees C and 50 degrees C. Its amino acid composition and amino-terminal sequence (17 residues) were determined. The protein exhibited marked hydrolytic activity toward the substrates N-Succ-(Ala)2-Pro-Phe-pNA (K(m) = 0.77 mM, Vmax = 24.2 mumol mg-1 min-1) and N-Succ-(Ala)2-Pro-Leu-pNA (K(m) = 0.92 mM, Vmax = 7.7 mumol mg-1 min-1). It was totally inhibited by alpha 1-antitrypsin, D-Phe-Pro-Arg-chloromethylketone and sodium dodecyl sulfate but was insensitive to EDTA, dithiothreitol, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, soybean trypsin inhibitor, pepstatin or elastatinal. In this respect, this protease differed in its physico-chemical and biochemical properties from other extracellular proteases previously found in bacteria and fungi. The results suggest that it has properties of chymotrypsin-like serine-type proteases.

Echinomycin suppresses the pyrogenic effects of endotoxin and interleukin-1 beta in human endothelial cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Endotoxin (LPS) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) increased in a dose-dependent manner the expression of tissue factor, an ubiquitous membrane-anchored glycoprotein that initiates blood coagulation at the surface of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Echinomycin, a cyclic octapeptide of microbial origin strongly inhibited LPS- and IL-1 beta-induced tissue factor expression in HUVEC and PBMC with IC50 values in the subnanomolar range at the same time it reduced LPS and IL-1 beta-induced expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1, CD54) on HUVEC (IC50 = 0.4 +/- 0.1 and 0.3 +/- 0.2 nM respectively). Echinomycin also reduced LPS-induced secretion of IL-1 beta and IL-6 by human PBMC (IC50 = 10 +/- 2 and 3 +/- 0.5 nM respectively). These observations demonstrate that echinomycin protects endothelial cells and PBMC from the pyrogenic effect of LPS and IL-1 beta.

Malformin-A1 inhibits the binding of interleukin-1 beta (IL1 beta) and suppresses the expression of tissue factor in human endothelial cells and monocytes.

Malformin-A1, a cyclic pentapeptide of microbial origin, antagonized in a competitive manner the binding of 125I-IL1 beta (interleukin-1 beta) to human monocytes and cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) with IC50 values (doses which reduce specific binding by 50%) of 250 +/- 80 and 230 +/- 25 nM, respectively (N = 3). IL1 increased in a dose-dependent manner the expression of tissue factor, a ubiquitous membrane-anchored glycoprotein that initiates blood coagulation at the surface of HUVEC and human monocytes. Malformin-A1 strongly inhibited IL1-induced tissue factor expression in HUVEC and monocytes with IC50 values of 420 +/- 35 and 105 +/- 25 nM, respectively (N = 3), and reduced IL1-induced expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1, CD54) on HUVEC (IC50 = 125 +/- 18 nM) (N = 4). These observations demonstrate that malformin-A1 recognizes and blocks IL1 beta binding to its receptor sites on monocytes and endothelial cells and protects these cells from IL1-induced procoagulant changes.

Activation of human protein C by blood coagulation factor Xa in the presence of anionic phospholipids. Enhancement by sulphated polysaccharides.

The activation of protein C by thrombin is thought to occur at the endothelial cell surface in the presence of an essential membrane glycoprotein cofactor, thrombomodulin. In the present study it is demonstrated that, in the presence of hirudin, the most potent known inhibitor of thrombin, human protein C can be activated by human factor Xa (20 nM), but by a thrombomodulin-independent mechanism requiring only the presence of Ca2+ and phospholipid vesicles bearing a high proportion of negative charges (30-75% phosphatidylserine, depending on the conditions). At an optimal concentration of phosphatidylserine/phosphatidylcholine (1:1, w/w) of 75 microM, the apparent Km was 1 microM with a kcat. of 1 min-1. At 25 microM-phospholipid the Km was unchanged and the kcat. was 0.67 min-1. At either lipid concentration, increasing the density of negative charges by the adjunction of sulphated polysaccharides, like pentosan polysulphate or standard heparin at optimal concentrations of 2-5 micrograms/ml and 5-10 micrograms/ml respectively, resulted in a 4-fold increase of the kcat. without affecting the Km. Sulphated polysaccharides alone were poor promoters of protein C activation by factor Xa. In any case the presence of Ca2+ was essential, the dependence being sigmoidal with Hill coefficients ranging from 1.4 to 2.0. No significant activation of 4-carboxyglutamic acid-domainless protein C, a chymotrypic derivative lacking the phospholipid-binding domain, could be detected in the presence of phospholipids and Ca2+, with or without pentosan polysulphate. In a large molar excess, other phospholipid-binding entities like prothrombin fragments F1 or F1+2 could inhibit protein C activation by factor Xa, but pentosan polysulphate exerted a clear protective effect. Factor Xa irreversibly inhibited at its active centre, but not di-isopropyl phosphoro-thrombin, behaved as an inhibitor but in a more complex manner than simple Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Among several derivatives of pentosan polysulphate or of heparin which were tested, those having the higher degree of sulphation and/or molecular mass were the most efficient in enhancing the rate of activation of protein C by factor Xa in the presence of phospholipids. These results suggest that human factor Xa, at physiological concentrations, could activate human protein C in the presence of anionic phospholipids and that this activation could be potentiated by therapeutic concentrations of sulphated polysaccharides.

Activity of pentosan polysulphate and derived compounds on vascular endothelial cell proliferation and migration induced by acidic and basic FGF in vitro.

Pentosan polysulphate (PPS, SP 54, HEMOCLAR), a highly sulphated semi-synthetic polysaccharide of MW 4700 Daltons is as efficient as heparin in potentiating the mitogenic activity of acidic FGF (aFGF) on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). When added to basic FGF (bFGF), no effect was observed on these cells. However, PPS had a strong inhibitory effect on the growth of bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC), as did heparin. PPS was fractionated according to molecular weight and the activities of these fractions were compared. A PPS fraction of MW = 3200 Daltons represented the critical size required to affect cell proliferation induced by FGFs. We also report that acidic and basic FGFs are both chemotactic for BAEC and HUVEC. PPS and heparin, which were chemotactic alone on BAEC, potentiated acidic FGF-induced migration but inhibited the chemotactic response of basic FGF. These data suggest that PPS, although having a different structure, can mimic the in vitro activity of heparin on FGF-induced proliferation and migration of endothelial cells and thus the possibility of a specific heparin sequence being involved in the interactions with FGFs can be questioned.

Inhibition of vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation in culture by pentosan polysulphate and related compounds.

Pentosan polysulphate (PPS; SP 54; Hemoclar), a highly sulphated semi-synthetic polysaccharide of MW 4.7 kD, was tested in vitro as an inhibitor of rabbit aortic smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation and its effects were compared with those of dextran sulphate, laminarin sulphate and heparin fractions. When added to the cell cultures simultaneously with foetal calf serum, all sulphated polysaccharides inhibited cell growth. PPS was five fold more active than heparin and its low molecular weight fractions. A high molecular weight fraction of PPS was the most active inhibitor (IC50: 2.7 micrograms/ml vs 45 micrograms/ml for PPS, and 241 micrograms/ml for heparin). When PPS and heparin were pre-incubated with the cells for three days, then removed before foetal calf serum was added to stimulate growth, their inhibitory effects were comparable with those seen when the compounds were present throughout the growth phase, suggesting that they exert their effect by binding to the cell surface, and not by interacting with the growth factors in serum.