Cited 3 times since 1993 (0.1 per year) source: EuropePMC Pulmonary pharmacology, Volume 6, Issue 1, 1 1 1993, Pages 33-39 Potency of an oxidation-resistant mutant of secretory leukocyte proteinase inhibitor in lipopolysaccharide-induced emphysema in hamsters. Stolk J, Heinzel-Wieland R, Saunders D, Dijkman JH, Steffens G

Secretory leukocyte inhibitor (SLPI) is a potent inhibitor of serine proteinases, but sensitive to oxidative inactivation due to a methionine residue in the active centre of the inhibitor. We compared the potency of an oxidation-resistant mutant of recombinant SLPI with native recombinant SLPI in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced emphysema in the hamster. Application of this oxidation-resistant mutant reduced the induced emphysema by 70 and 85% in two separate series of experiments. In contrast, an equal amount of native rSLPI resulted in significantly lower inhibition, 30 and 23%, respectively (P = 0.002). To demonstrate the effect of oxygen radicals upon a single LPS instillation in the lungs, we measured anti-neutrophil elastase activity in lung lavage fluid at 10 and 24 h after the instillation of a mixture of LPS and native rSLPI. We found that residual native rSLPI was only 70 and 55% active, respectively. The rSLPI-mutant remained 93% active in a similar experiment. The native and mutant inhibitor showed equal potency against proteinases in a granule extract of hamster neutrophils. We conclude that the replacement of methionine by leucine in the inhibitory centre of rSLPI results in a decreased sensitivity to oxidative inactivation and that this alone is sufficient to explain the greater efficiency of the rSLPI-mutant in reducing the extent of LPS-induced emphysema.

Pulm Pharmacol. 1993 3;6(1):33-39