Isolation and characterization of a specific endogenous Na+,K+-ATPase inhibitor from bovine adrenal

In order to identify a specific endogenous Na+,K+-ATPase inhibitor which could possibly be related to salt-dependent hypertension, we looked for substances in the methanol extract of bovine whole adrenal which show all of the following properties: (i) inhibitory activity for Na+,K+-ATPase; (ii) competitive displacing activity against [3H]ouabain binding to the enzyme; (iii) inhibitory activity for 86Rb uptake into intact human erythrocytes; and (iv) cross-reactivity with sheep anti-digoxin-specific antibody. After stepwise fractionation of the methanol extract of bovine adrenal glands by chromatography on a C18 open column, a 0-15% acetonitrile fraction was fractionated by high-performance liquid chromatography on a Zorbax octadecylsilane column. One of the most active fractions in 0-15% acetonitrile was found to exhibit all of the four types of the activities. It was soluble in water and was distinct from various substances which have been known to inhibit Na+,K+-ATPase such as unsaturated free fatty acids, lysophosphatidylcholines, vanadate, dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acid, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, dopamine, lignan, ascorbic acid, etc. This substance was further purified by using an additional five steps of high-performance liquid chromatography with five different types of columns. Molecular mass was estimated as below 350 by fast atom bombardment mass spectroscopy and ultrafiltration. Heat treatment at 250 degrees C for 2 h and acid treatment with 6 N HCl at 115 degrees C for 21 h almost completely destroyed the inhibitory activity of the purified substance for Na+ pump activity. Additionally, alkaline treatment with 0.2 N NaOH at 23 degrees C for 2 h destroyed approximately 70% of the inhibitory activity, whereas boiling for 10 min and various enzyme digestion did not destroy the activity. The dose dependency for the four types of the activities for this substance paralleled those of ouabain, spanning 2 orders of magnitude in concentration range. The inhibitory potencies of the purified substance for Na+,K+-ATPase, Na+ pump, and ouabain binding activities were diminished with increasing K+ concentration, exhibiting a characteristic typical of cardiac glycosides. This substance had no effect on the Ca2+-ATPase activity or the Ca2+ loading rate into the vesicle prepared from skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum. These results strongly suggest that this water-soluble nonpeptidic Na+,K+-ATPase inhibitor may be a specific endogenous regulator for the ATPase.