pepstatin/inflammation

Exposure to cockroaches is a major risk factor for asthma. Products from cockroaches may contain proteases and ligands for pattern recognition receptors. These molecules may activate airway inflammatory cells, such as eosinophils, that are involved in asthma. Among inner-city children, cockroach

Proteinase inhibitors were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory actions on carrageenin-induced inflammation in rats. The development of granulation tissue and the exudate were markedly suppressed by a single injection of L-1-tosylamide-2-phenylethyl chloromethyl ketone (TPCK) into the

Human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) chemotaxis was tested during exposure to leukocyte and platelet extracts, a variety of polyelectrolytes, inflammatory exudates, and bacterial products. The chemoattractants employed were either zymosan-activated serum or supernatant from autolyzed

The cathepsins D (CTSD), B (CTSB) and L (CTSL) are important for the intracellular degradation of proteins. Increased cathepsin expression is associated with inflammatory diseases. We have shown previously an induction of CTSD expression in intestinal macrophages (IMAC) in inflamed mucosa of

The macrophage is the main cell participating in chronic inflammation. It contains an acid-acting, cathepsin D-type proteinase with the specificity of pepsin, which may release mediators of the inflammatory process. To find new pharmaceutical inhibitors of this proteinase, we tested a variety of

The secretion of aspartic proteases (Saps) has long been recognized as a virulence-associated trait of the pathogenic yeast Candida albicans. In this study, we report that different recombinant Saps, including Sap1, Sap2, Sap3, and Sap6, have differing abilities to induce secretion of

Cathepsin D (Cath-D) expression in human primary breast cancer has been associated with a poor prognosis. In search of a better understanding of the Cath-D substrates possibly involved in cancer invasiveness and metastasis, we investigated the potential interactions between this protease and

Evidence is presented to indicate that there exists in lymphoid tissue, as a result of transforming lymphocytes, a new lymphokine which is chemotactically specific for lymphocytes, called 'lymphotactin'. Lymphotactin has been purified to electrophoretic homogeneity; has a molecular weight of 10,500

1. Sialyltransferase is a liver Golgi membrane-bound enzyme that is released from the liver under conditions of experimental inflammation. Previous work showed that the action of a cathepsin D-like proteinase was responsible for release of the enzyme from isolated Golgi membranes. This study shows

Improved chemical inhibitors are required to dissect the role of specific antigen processing enzymes and to complement genetic models. In this study we explore the in vitro and in vivo properties of a novel class of targeted inhibitor of aspartic proteinases, in which pepstatin is coupled to

Human skin fibroblasts or synovial cells exposed to conditioned medium from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells release distinct latent enzymes capable of degrading collagen, proteoglycan (PG) and gelatin at neutral pH. The PG-degrading activity also degrades casein. These enzymes require

Secreted aspartyl proteinases (Saps) are important virulence factors of Candida albicans during mucosal and disseminated infections and may also contribute to the induction of an inflammatory host immune response. We used a model of vaginal candidiasis based on reconstituted human vaginal epithelium

One of the main secondary toxic side effects of anti-mitotic agents used to treat cancer patients is intestinal mucositis. Previous data showed that cathepsin D activity, contributing to the proteolytic lysosomal pathway, is up-regulated during intestinal mucositis in rats. At the same time,

Nasal polyposis affects about 1 to 4% of the population. Polyps develop in oedematous and inflammated mucous membrane. In spite of the intensive research the pathomechanism of their development is not fully understood. The majority of the theories concerning the development of nasal polyps emphasize