Biomedical subjects

Adelaide Faljoni-Alario

Publications and source records attributed to Adelaide Faljoni-Alario.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Novel pharmaceutical composition of bradykinin potentiating penta peptide with beta-cyclodextrin: physical-chemical characterization and anti-hypertensive evaluation.

This work describes chemical properties and anti-hypertensive activity of an oral pharmaceutical formulation obtained from the complexation of beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) with bradykinin potentiating penta peptide (BPP-5a) founded in the Bothrops jararaca poison. Physical chemistry characterizations were recorded in order to investigate the intermolecular interactions between species in complex. Circular dichroism data indicated conformational changes of BPP-5a upon complexation with beta-CD. ROESY and theoretical calculations showed a selective approximation of triptophan moiety into cavity of beta-CD. Isothermal titration calorimetry data indicated an exothermic formation of the complex, which is accomplished by reduction of entropy. The anti-hypertensive activity of the BPP-5a/beta-CD complex has been evaluated in spontaneous hypertensive rats, showing better results than pure BPP-5a.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗

PubMed2006

Heparin modulation of human plasma kallikrein on different substrates and inhibitors.

The interplay of different proteases and glycosaminoglycans is able to modulate the activity of the enzymes and to affect their structures. Human plasma kallikrein (huPK) is a proteolytic enzyme involved in intrinsic blood clotting, the kallikrein-kinin system and fibrinolysis. We investigated the effect of heparin on the action, inhibition and secondary structure of huPK. The catalytic efficiency for the hydrolysis of substrates by huPK was determined by Michaelis-Menten kinetic plots: 5.12x10(4) M-1 s-1 for acetyl-Phe-Arg-p-nitroanilide, 1.40x10(5) M-1 s-1 for H-D-Pro-Phe-Arg-p-nitroanilide, 2.25x10(4) M-1 s-1 for Abz-Gly-Phe-Ser-Pro-Phe-Arg-Ser-Ser-Arg-Gln-EDDnp, 4.24x10(2)M-1 s-1 for factor XII and 5.58x10(2) M-1 s-1 for plasminogen. Heparin reduced the hydrolysis of synthetic substrates (by 2.0-fold), but enhanced factor XII and plasminogen hydrolysis (7.7- and 1.4-fold, respectively). The second-order rate constants for inhibition of huPK by antithrombin and C1-inhibitor were 2.40x10(2) M-1 s-1 and 1.70x10(4) M-1 s-1, respectively. Heparin improved the inhibition of huPK by these inhibitors (3.4- and 1.4-fold). Despite the fact that huPK was able to bind to a heparin-Sepharose matrix, its secondary structure was not modified by heparin, as monitored by circular dichroism. These actions may have a function in the control or maintenance of some pathophysiological processes in which huPK participates.

Antithrombins↗

PubMed2004

Changes in the spin state and reactivity of cytochrome C induced by photochemically generated singlet oxygen and free radicals.

This work compares the effect of photogenerated singlet oxygen (O(2)((1)Delta(g))) (type II mechanism) and free radicals (type I mechanism) on cytochrome c structure and reactivity. Both reactive species were obtained by photoexcitation of methylene blue (MB(+)) in the monomer and dimer forms, respectively. The monomer form is predominant at low dye concentrations (up to 8 microm) or in the presence of an excess of SDS micelles, while dimers are predominant at 0.7 mm SDS. Over a pH range in which cytochrome c is in the native form, O(2) ((1)Delta(g)) and free radicals induced a Soret band blue shift (from 409 to 405 nm), predominantly. EPR measurements revealed that the blue shift of the Soret band was compatible with conversion of the heme iron from its native low spin state to a high spin state with axial symmetry (g approximately 6.0). Soret band bleaching, due to direct attack on the heme group, was only detected under conditions that favored free radical production (MB(+) dimer in SDS micelles) or in the presence of a less structured form of the protein (above pH 9.3). Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry of the heme group and the polypeptide chain of cytochrome c with Soret band at 405 nm (cytc405) revealed no alterations in the mass of the cytc405 heme group but oxidative modifications on methionine (Met(65) and Met(80)) and tyrosine (Tyr(74)) residues. Damage of cytc405 tyrosine residue impaired its reduction by diphenylacetaldehyde, but not by beta-mercaptoethanol, which was able to reduce cytc405, generating cytochrome c Fe(II) in the high spin state (spin 2).

Amino Acids↗

PubMed2004

A proteinase inhibitor from Caesalpinia echinata (pau-brasil) seeds for plasma kallikrein, plasmin and factor XIIa.

Caesalpinia echinata is a tree belonging to the Leguminosae family. The red color of the trunk, looking like burning wood ('brasa' in Portuguese), is the origin of the name Brazil. Seeds of leguminous plants contain high amounts of serine proteinase inhibitors that can affect different biological processes. Here we show that a protein isolated from seeds of C. echinata is able to inhibit enzymes that participate in blood coagulation and fibrinolysis. This inhibitor (CeKI) was purified to homogeneity by ion exchange and reversed-phase chromatography. SDS-PAGE indicated a single polypeptide chain with a molecular mass of 20 kDa. CeKI inhibits human plasma kallikrein ( K i =3.1 nM), plasmin ( K i =0.18 nM), factor XIIa ( K i =0.18 nM), trypsin ( K i =21.5 nM) and factor Xa ( K i =0.49 mM). CeKI inhibited kinin release from highmolecular- mass kininogen by kallikrein in vitro . The N-terminal sequence, determined by automatic Edman degradation, identified the inhibitor as a member of the Kunitz family. The secondary structure, determined by circular dichroism, is mainly a random coil followed by beta-sheet structure. The action of CeKI on enzymes of the blood-clotting intrinsic pathway was confirmed by prolongation of the activated partial thromboplastin time.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2003

Nucleotide conformational change induced by cationic bilayers.

The effects of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) micelles and dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DODAB) bilayers on molecular conformation of 2'-deoxyadenosine 5'-monophosphate (dAMP) were evaluated from circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD) and molecular modeling of dAMP conformations of minimal energy upon varying torsion angles for the glycosidic bond (t(1)) for four different conditions of dielectric constant of the medium (E) and negative charge on the phosphate moiety (C), namely, E80_C2, E80_C0, E1_C2, and E1_C0. Upon decreasing medium polarity, a decreased intensity of the negative band over the 190-210 nm region for the dAMP CD spectrum was observed. Upon increasing relative proportion dAMP: DODAB, an increased intensity of the positive band over the 210-230 nm region plus a red shift were obtained that could be attributed to an increased nitrogenous base stacking, similar to A stacking in poly(A). Concomitant base stacking and insertion in the cationic aggregates were observed for DODAB bilayers but not for CTAB micelles. Thereby, the nucleotide extended, anti conformation in pure water typical for nucleotides in DNA was forced by the cationic bilayer to become syn. dAMP conformational modeling upon simultaneous changes in the nucleotide environment (from water to a hydrocarbon phase) and in the charge on phosphate moiety (-2 to zero) allowed to simulate dAMP conformation in the cationic bilayer/dAMP complex. Modeling confirmed the dAMP anti-to-syn conformational change experimentally characterized from CD spectroscopy. This nucleotide conformational change would possibly be at the root of DNA denaturation upon complexation with cationic lipids.

Cations↗

PubMed2003

Modulation of cytochrome c spin states by lipid acyl chains: a continuous-wave electron paramagnetic resonance (CW-EPR) study of haem iron.

This work is a systematic study, showing a clear correlation between the nature of the lipid acyl chain and the spin states of cytochrome c interacting with different types of lipid membranes. According to the lipid acyl chain type, and the head group charge present in the bilayer, three spin states of cytochrome c were observed in different proportions: the native cytochrome c low spin state with rhombic symmetry (spin 1/2, g axially=3.07 and g radially=2.23), a low spin state with less rhombic symmetry (spin 1/2, g(1)=2.902, g(2)=2.225, and g(3)=1.510) and the high spin state (spin 5/2, g axially=6.0 and g radially=2.0). The proportion of the spin states of cytochrome c bound to bilayers was also dependent on the lipid/protein ratio, suggesting the existence of two or more protein sites interacting with the lipids. The lipid-induced alterations in the symmetry and spin states of cytochrome c exhibited partial reversibility when the ionic strength was increased, which reinforces the crucial role played by the electrostatic interaction with the lipid bilayer. Different cytochrome c spin states exhibited corresponding modifications in the haemprotein UV/visible spectra, particularly in the Q-band associated with loss of the 695 nm band and appearance of a band in the region of 600-650 nm. The observed reactivity of cytochrome c with oxidized forms of unsaturated lipids reinforces the possibility of the acyl chain insertion in the haemprotein structure.

Cytochrome c Group↗