Selective inhibition of collagen breakdown by proteinase inhibitors in granulation tissue in rats

A rapid breakdown of collagen was found in granulation tissue induced by carrageenin in rats; the half-life of collagen in both growing and resorbing tissues was about 3.5 days, whereas that in non-resorbing tissue was about 7 days. On the other hand, the half-life of noncollagen protein in the growing, resorbing and non-resorbing tissues was about 2-3 days. epsilon-Amino-n-caproic acid n-hexyl ester, an inhibitor of plasmin and trypsin, selectively inhibited collagen breakdown in vivo without affecting the degradation of noncollagen protein or the syntheses of collagen and noncollagen protein in granulation tissues. A similar selective inhibition of collagen breakdown was also found upon treatment with soybean trypsin inhibitor. Collagenase activity was assayed directly in the insoluble 6,000 X g pellet of granulation tissue homogenates. epsilon-Amino-n-caproic acid n-hexyl ester and soybean trypsin inhibitor markedly inhibited the collagen breakdown in granulation tissue pellets in vitro. The results are consistent with those from in vivo experiments and suggest that both the inhibitors indirectly inhibit the collagen breakdown in granulation tissue through the inhibition of a latent collagenase-activating proteinase(s), because none of the inhibitors directly inhibit collagenase. It may be argued, therefore, that a proteinase(s) which activates a latent collagenase plays an important role in the rapid breakdown of collagen in granulation tissues.