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Published on: May 19, 2018
A novel human leukocyte elastase inhibitor from duck egg white
T A Valueva1, G V Kladnitskaya, V V Mosolov
1A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
Immunopharmacology
|May 1, 1996
Summary
Duck egg white ovomucoid effectively inhibits several proteases like HLE and PPE. This serine proteinase inhibitor binds proteases in specific molar ratios, offering insights into enzyme inhibition mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Enzymology
- Protein Chemistry
Background:
- Serine proteinase inhibitors play crucial roles in regulating proteolytic enzymes.
- Egg white proteins, such as ovomucoid, are potential sources of bioactive compounds.
Purpose of the Study:
- To isolate and characterize a serine proteinase inhibitor from duck egg white.
- To determine the inhibitory activity and binding characteristics of duck ovomucoid against various proteases.
Main Methods:
- Isolation of ovomucoid from duck egg white.
- Enzyme inhibition assays using human leukocyte elastase (HLE), porcine pancreatic elastase (PPE), chymotrypsin, human urinary kallikrein (HCG), and trypsin.
- Determination of equilibrium dissociation constants (Kd) and molar ratios of inhibition.
Main Results:
- Duck ovomucoid effectively inhibited HLE, PPE, chymotrypsin, and HCG in a 1:1 molar ratio, and trypsin in a 1:2 molar ratio.
- No inhibition was observed for human plasmin and porcine pancreatic kallikrein.
- Equilibrium dissociation constants ranged from 0.002 nM for HLE to 18.0 nM for HCG, indicating high affinity.
- The inhibitor molecule demonstrated the capacity to bind two trypsin molecules or one molecule of elastase/chymotrypsin simultaneously.
Conclusions:
- Duck ovomucoid is a potent serine proteinase inhibitor with high affinity for specific proteases.
- The inhibitor exhibits distinct binding stoichiometry for different target enzymes, including trypsin and elastase.
- These findings contribute to understanding the structure-function relationships of ovomucoids and their potential applications.

