PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

W R Abrams

Publications and source records attributed to W R Abrams.

71 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1984

Specific inhibition of human leukocyte elastase by substituted alpha-pyrones.

Several a-pyrones have been synthesized and investigated for their in vitro inhibitory activity using a-chymotrypsin (a-CT), porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE) and human leukocyte elastase (HLE). 4-Hydroxy-6-undecyl-2H-pyran-2-one 4, 4-Hydroxy-6-[(1-butyl)heptyl]-2H-pyran-2-one 5 and 4-Methoxy-6-[(1-butyl) heptyl]-2H-pyran-2-one 6 were found to be specific inhibitors of HLE. These compounds constitute a promising new class of HLE inhibitors.

Chemical Phenomena↗
PubMed1984

Proteinase inhibitory function in inflammatory lung disease. I. Acute bacterial pneumonia.

This study examines the bronchial alveolar lavage (BAL) samples from a group of patients with acute bacterial pneumonia (n = 13) and makes a comparison with a control group (n = 5). The proteinase inhibitory capacity was examined and found to be composed primarily of alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor (PI, alpha 1-antitrypsin) and, to a lesser extent, bronchial mucosal inhibitor. Although the average PI concentration was elevated approximately 5-fold in the pneumonia group, its inhibitory function against elastase was decreased 15-fold when compared with that in the control group. The pneumonia group showed an increased concentration of immunologically identified elastin-derived peptides. Some of the BAL fluid from patients with pneumonia showed elastolytic activity against amorphous insoluble lung elastin. The majority of the elastase appears to be of neutrophil origin. Bronchial mucosal inhibitor is shown to be a component of both normal and pneumonia BAL fluids by both immunologic quantitation and by its resistance to perchloric acid inactivation. Compared with those from control subjects, BAL samples from patients with acute bacterial pneumonia showed a decreased proteinase inhibitor function and both increased elastolytic activity and elastin-derived peptide concentration.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1983

A flow cytometric assay of neutrophil degranulation.

A quantitative assay of neutrophil degranulation was developed using flow cytometry. Dog neutrophils were purified to greater than 95% purity and viability by isopyknic density centrifugation in an isosmotic medium. These cells concentrated the fluorochrome acridine orange (AO) in their azurophilic granules, but not in specific granules. Also contained in the azurophilic granules are elastase, myeloperoxidase, and approximately 50% of the lysozyme activity. The fluorochrome was released concomitantly with elastase activity, as shown by flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy, and biochemical assay in response to the ionophore A23187. By flow cytometry, unstimulated cells are distributed in a single broad peak of high fluorescence intensity. With increasing concentrations of A23187 (0.48-4.80 microM), a greater proportion of the cells shifted to a single peak of low fluorescence intensity. Few cells with intermediate fluorescence were observed. These analyses revealed that the neutrophils degranulated in a quantal, all-or-none response.

Acridine Orange↗
PubMed1982

Neurtrophil degranulation in cadmium-chloride-induced acute lung inflammation.

Lobar intrabronchial instillation of cadmium chloride (200 micrograms/ml) in saline causes a reproducible acute pulmonary inflammation in dogs. The influx of inflammatory neutrophils from the circulation into the alveolar spaces reaches a maximum approximately 16 hours after the cadmium chloride treatment in the treated lobe, while the controlateral lung appears normal. Morphometric quantitation of peroxidase-positive (azurophilic) granules in the inflammatory neutrophils shows a 74% loss of these granules, with little or no loss of the peroxidase-negative (specific) granules. These data are in good agreement with the measured loss of intracellular elastase, an enzyme known to be localized in the azurophilic granules. The results suggest that degranulation of azurophilic granules may occur selectively during this chemically induced acute inflammation.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Enzymatic reduction of oxidized alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor restores biological activity.

The major serum inhibitor of proteolytic activity, alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor (alpha-1-PI), (or alpha-1-antitrypsin) can be readily inactivated by oxidation [Carp, H. & Janoff, A. (1978) Am. Rev. Resp. Dis. 118, 617-621]. This inactivation appears to be due to the oxidation of a critical methionine(s) in alpha-1-PI that is required for the inhibition of elastase activity. An enzyme from Escherichia coli that reduces methionine sulfoxide residues in protein [Brot, N., Weissbach, L., Werth, J. & Weissbach, H. (1981) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 78, 2155-2158] can restore the biological inhibitory activity of canine oxidized alpha-1-PI.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Emphysema induced in vitro and in vivo in dogs by a purified elastase from homologous leukocytes.

The protease hypothesis of emphysema development evolved from systems using intratracheal instillation or aerosols of heterologous enzymes, such as papain or porcine pancreatic elastase, which bear no relation to the animal species treated. Although these enzymes did produce experimental emphysema, their exogenous origin and superphysiological dosages limit their use in definitive model systems. The observation that dog leukocyte homogenates could induce canine emphysema led us to purify the causative agent from canine neutrophils. This report establishes that a single elastolytic enzyme from dog neutrophils is responsible for inducing experimental emphysema in the dog. Two purification methods were employed. The first used solvents of increasing ionic strength in a sequential extraction of acetone powders of purified dog neutrophils. The ability to initiate emphysema-like lesions was tested in every fraction of the purification and was localized in the extract with the highest true elastolytic activity. The second purification involved neutrophil intracytoplasmic organelle fractionation and established that only extracts of the lysosomal granules were capable of emphysema induction. Finally, the enzyme was purified to homogeneity from the granules using affinity chromatography and was shown to be a true elastase. Emphysema development was quantitated using mean linear intercept and was shown to be dependent on elastase concentration. There does not appear to be any other single enzyme in the canine neutrophil capable of inducing experimental emphysema.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

A model of decreased functional alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor. Pulmonary pathology of dogs exposed to chloramine T.

The objective of this study was to develop an animal model representative of chronic human alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor deficiency. Eight dogs were treated with a mild oxidizing agent, chloramine T, with varying regimens for 3--27 wk. The capacity of the serum to inhibit both trypsin and elastase was examined and found to respond differently. Although immunologically determined levels of protease inhibitor did not change, the ability of serum to inhibit elastase in an in vitro assay decreased in direct response to chloramine T treatment. The trypsin inhibitory capacity was less affected. Emphysemalike alterations in lung morphology were observable when histologic sections were evaluated both subjectively and objectively by mean linear intercept measurements. The data suggest that this model parallels the emphysema associated with the genetic alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor deficiency in man.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

The effect of the oxidizing agents chloramine-T and cigarette smoke on dog serum proteinase inhibitor(s).

Dog serum treated with the oxidant chloramine-T is rapidly and selectively depleted of its ability to inhibit porcine pancreatic elastase or dog neutrophil elastase. Trypsin inhibitory capacity of serum is not affected. Purified dog alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor (alpha-1-PI) is similarly oxidized with an apparent rate constant of 1.1 x 10(3) M-1 sec-1. Reversal of the oxidative inactivation using dithiothreitol was demonstrated. Cigarette smoke also directly affects the inhibitory capacity of both serum and pure alpha-1-PI. These studies form a basis for developing a model of functionally deficient alpha-1-PI by taking advantage of oxidative inactivation of normal proteinase inhibitor levels.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Purification and characterization of canine alpha-1-antiproteinase.

The principal canine plasma protease inhibitor, alpha-1-antiproteinase, has been purified 90-fold with a 25% yield to apparent homogeneity. The purification scheme includes anion-exchange chromatography, to separate away the bulk of the serum albumin; affinity chromatography by insolubilized concanavalin A, to remove most of the other serum proteins as well as traces of albumin; and, finally, sizing on Sephacryl-S-200. Unique to this purification scheme is the batch use of insolubilized hemoglobin--Sepharose beads to remove the ubiquitous contaminant haptoglobin. The purified material has an apparent molecular weight of 58 000, 11.2% carbohydrate, and an E280nm1% = 5.82, and can be separated by isoelectric focusing into at least two distinct forms with pI values of 4.40 and 4.52. In addition, canine alpha-1-antiproteinase is immunologically distinct from human alpha-1-antiproteinase.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1978

Specific binding of messenger RNA and methionyl-tRNAfMet by the same initiation factor for eukaryotic protein synthesis.

Affinity chromatography on columns containing globin mRNA, R17 phage mRNA, or double-stranded RNA linked to cellose is used to demonstrate unequivocally that the eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF-2) that forms a ternary complex with Met-tRNAf and GTP also binds tightly to these RNA species. Affinity chromatography of reticulocyte ribosomal wash yields over 100-fold purification of Met-tRNAf-binding factor. This factor is eluted as one of the most tightly bound proteins, and is active in protein synthesis even after passage over a column of double-stranded RNA-cellulose. eIF-2 binds mRNA and double-stranded RNA in distinctly different modes, protecting essentially all sequences in double stranded RNA, but very few in mRNA, against digestion with ribonuclease. Apparently, eIF-2 recognized the A conformation of double-stranded RNA, but not its sequence. By contrast, globin, Mengo virus, R17 and vesicular stomatitis virus mRNA are shown to possess a high-affinity binding site for eIF-2 that is absent in negative-strand RNA of vesicular stomatitis virus, an RNA that cannot serve as messenger. The results support the concept that eIF-2, the initiation factor that binds Met-tRNAf, recognizes an internal sequence in mRNA essential for protein synthesis.

Base Sequence↗