Importance of hepatic metabolism in the antiaggregating activity of the thienopyridine clopidogrel.

The thienopyridine clopidogrel is not active in vitro and must be administered i.v. or orally, suggesting that metabolism is necessary for activity.

Enhancement of neurite outgrowth from central nervous system neurons in primary culture by thrombin inhibitors.

Previous studies have shown that serine protease inhibitors promote neurite outgrowth from neuroblastoma cells, sympathetic neurons and sensory ganglia in culture. In the present study, a neurite promoting activity of thrombin inhibitors such as hirudin, D-Phe,Pro,Arg-CH2Cl, and paraamidinophenylalanine derivatives, was found in rat embryo (E17) septal neurons in primary culture. In contrast, no effect was shown on choline acetyltransferase activity of septal fragments in culture.

Inhibition by recombinant hirudins of experimental venous thrombosis and disseminated intravascular coagulation induced by tissue factor in rats.

Antithrombotic potency of recombinant hirudins rHV2, rHV2-Lys47 and rHV2-Arg47 was studied in a model of experimental thrombosis induced by tissue factor in the rat. Venous thrombosis was induced by i.v.

Production and evaluation of recombinant hirudin.

Hirudin, a 65 amino acid polypeptide form the medicinal leech, is an extremely efficient and specific thrombin inhibitor whose therapeutic potential has been demonstrated in a number of animal models. We have developed protocols for the production of recombinant hirudin by secretion from S. cerevisiae and carried out a full biologic evaluation of the purified product.

ADP plays a key role in thrombogenesis in rats.

The relative importance of ADP, arachidonic acid metabolites and serotonin as thrombogenic factors was evaluated in rats by comparing, after oral administration, the effects of two inhibitors of ADP-induced platelet aggregation (ticlopidine and PCR 4099), three cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors (aspirin, triflusal and indobufen) and a selective serotonin 5HT2 receptor antagonist (ketanserin) on platelet aggregation, in four platelet-dependent thrombosis models and on bleeding time. Platelet aggregation induced by ADP and collagen was completely inhibited by ticlopidine and PCR 4099 whereas only the collagen aggregation was reduced by the cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors. Ketanserin or a depletion of platelet serotonin by reserpine did not affect platelet aggregation.

Broad spectrum anti-platelet activity of ticlopidine and PCR 4099 involves the suppression of the effects of released ADP.

Aggregation and serotonin secretion were studied in washed rat platelets after oral administration of ticlopidine or its more potent analog PCR 4099. Besides a complete suppression of the ADP-induced aggregation, the two drugs significantly inhibited aggregation and secretion induced by three protein kinase C activators (1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol, OAG; 12-0-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate, TPA; phospholipase C), by the calcium ionophore A 23187 and by thrombin. The highest inhibition was observed at low stimuli concentrations but could be partly or almost completely overcome by increasing their concentrations.

[Physicochemical properties of an extracellular polysaccharide isolated from culture media of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens].

A new extracellular polysaccharide has been isolated by chromatography on anion exchanger of a fraction obtained from highly viscous culture media of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. This polysaccharide is characterised by high molecular weight (1,000,000 dalton) and intrinsic viscosity (323 ml/g). It contains 24% neutral sugar (galactose and mannose 5:1), 35% glucuronic acid and 51.