Synthetic biotinylated peptide compounds derived from Asp-hemolysin: novel potent inhibitors of platelet-activating factor.

Platelet-activating factor (PAF: 1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine), a potent inflammatory mediator, is implicated in many inflammatory diseases and may possibly serve as a direct target for anti-inflammatory drugs. We have previously reported that Asp-hemolysin-related synthetic peptides (P4-P29) inhibit the bioactivities of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) containing PAF-like lipids by direct binding to ox-LDL, which plays a key role in the atherosclerotic inflammatory process. In this study, we investigated whether these peptides inhibit the bioactivities of PAF by binding to PAF and its metabolite/precursor lyso-PAF. In in vitro experiments, P21, one of the peptides, bound to both PAF and lyso-PAF in a dose-dependent manner and markedly inhibited PAF-induced apoptosis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Moreover, in in vivo experiments, P4 and P21, particularly their N-terminally biotinylated peptide compounds (BP4 and BP21), inhibited PAF-induced rat paw oedema dose dependently and markedly, and showed sufficient inhibition of the oedema even at doses 150-300 times less than the doses of PAF antagonists. These results provide evidence that direct binding of N-terminally biotinylated peptide compounds derived from Asp-hemolysin to PAF and lyso-PAF leads to a dramatic inhibition of the bioactivities of PAF, both in vitro and in vivo, and strongly suggesting that these compounds may be useful as a novel type of anti-inflammatory drug for the treatment of several inflammatory diseases caused by PAF.