Elastase research

Bahgat, M. and Ruppel, A. (2002) Biochemical comparison of the serine protease (elastase) activities in cercar-ial secretions from Trichobilharzia ocellata and Schistosoma mansoni. Parasitology Research 88, 495-500. 

The literature relating to collagenases and elastases has recently been the subject of a comprehensive review by Ines Mandl (1961) and no purpose would be served by attempting a similar description here. It is proposed instead to summarize briefly some of the salient features arising from the work of the last decade and to draw attention to a number of recent researches that have led to advances in the study of elastolysis by enzymes. 

Although research at the transcription level has dominated pharmacological research on STLs in the last fes years, it should not be forgotten that evidence from earlier studies has indicated involvement of many downstream effects in their anti-inflammatory activity. One of the most prominent effects in this respect is related to anti-secretive activity due to membrane-stabilization. It was shown by Hall and coworkers that STLs inhibit the activity and release of lysosomal enzymes [46] furthermore, some STLs were demonstrated to inhibit mast-cell degranulation [68, 69] and, as found more recently, the release of human neutrophil elastase [70]. 

The design of peptidomimetic HLE inhibitors by researchers at Zeneca Pharmaceuticals23-2Z as based largely on information obtained from the X-ray crystal structures of peptidic inhibitors bound to HLE and the closely related enzyme, porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE). These two enzymes show relatively high structural homology, especially in the active site region. 

Guan, J., Fujimoto, K.L., Wagner, W.R., 2008. Elastase-sensitive elastomeric scaffolds with variable anisotropy for soft tissue engineering. Pharmaceutical Research 25, 2400-2412. 

The antinutrient properties of the proteinase inhibitor fractions have been ascribed primarily to the inhibitors of trypsin. However only limited data is available concerning the effects of inhibitors of chymotrypsin and elastase, and virtually nothing is known of the effects in animal diets of inhibitors with specificities toward the carboxypeptidase A and B. The major impediment to such research is the availability, for testing in animal diets, of inhibitors having these latter specificities. 

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