Interaction of characteristic structural elements of persimmon tannin with Chinese cobra PLA2

To more fully understand the mechanism by which persimmon tannin (PT) inhibited phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and the structural requirements of PT for the inhibition, the interactions between PLA2 and seven characteristic structural elements of PT including epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), myricetin, epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG), epicatechin-3-gallate-(4β → 8, 2β → O → 7)-epicatechin-3-gallate (A-type ECG dimer), epigallocatechin-3-gallate-(4β → 8, 2β → O → 7)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (A-type EGCG dimer), epicatechin-(4β → 8, 2β → O → 7)-epicatechin (A-type EC dimer) and epicatechin-(4β → 8)-epicatechin (B-type EC dimer) were studied by enzymatic and spectroscopic methods. Molecular docking was also used to explore the possible residues involved in the interactions. The results revealed that A-type EGCG dimer and A-type ECG dimer showed higher inhibitory effects on the catalytic activity of PLA2 than monomers and B-type dimer. They induced greater conformational changes in PLA2 than other structural elements. In addition, molecular docking studies revealed that expect for lysine residues, other residues such as Trp18, Try27, Gly29, His47 and Tyr63 were involved in the interactions. We propose that A-type EGCG and ECG dimer units may be structural requirements for the interaction between PT and PLA2. Our data provide an additional structural basis for anti-PLA2 activity of persimmon tannin.