Danielle Gulino

Antithrombic properties of insoluble modified polystyrene : Part I

Chlorosulfonated polystyrenes grafted with arginyl methyl ester have been synthetized and characterized by elemental analyses. When suspended in plasma or in fibrinogen solutions, these insoluble polymers cause an increase in the thrombin clotting time. Consequently the antithrombin activity observed is not dependent upon to the presence of antithrombin III. Binding between the resin and thrombin can be demonstrated. An approximative value of the affinity constant is calculated: 2.3 X 10(6) 1/M. At high ionic strength, thrombin can be desorbed and exhibits normal coagulation properties. The prolongation of the thrombin time therefore can be attributed to the thrombin-resin interaction.

Anticoagulant hydrogels derived from crosslinked dextran. Part II: mechanism of thrombin inactivation

Sephadex derivatives bearing carboxymethyl, sulphonated benzylamine and amino acid groups exhibit heparin-like behaviour as demonstrated by the kinetic study of the thrombin inactivation in the presence of antithrombin III. Furthermore, whatever the chemical composition of these hydrogels, the diffusion coefficient of thrombin remained approximately constant and could not be connected with the variation of the antithrombin activity of the resins. Hence, in the heparin-like mechanism, the diffusion rate of thrombin inside the beads of hydrogels was not the limiting step. In fact, the swelling ratio (varying according to the chemical composition of these biomaterials) was involved in the anticoagulant properties of the resins.

Affinity of antithrombin III for insoluble modified polystyrene

In previous papers we described insoluble polystyrenes grafted with L-arginyl methyl ester (PAOM) which exhibit a high affinity for thrombin. Based on their specific interaction with the protease, the resin has been used as stationary phases for affinity chromatographic procedure of thrombin in affinity chromatography (AC) and high performance liquid affinity chromatography (HPLAC). A slight adsorption of antithrombin III (AT III) was shown in AC. In this paper we study the interaction of AT III for PAOM resin in batch procedure. The adsorption is measured using purified protein and corresponds to a monolayer adsorbed on the surface of the polymer. The affinity constant is evaluated kAT = 3.10(5) 1.M-1. Furthermore, insoluble sulfonated polystyrenes grafted with different amino acid were shown to possess an heparin-like behaviour and catalyse the generation of thrombin-AT III complex. So, compared to one of the resin previously mentioned, it could be concluded that PAOM is not heparin-like. When thrombin is adsorbed on the surface of the polymer, AT III cannot interact with the specific seryl residue of the enzyme.

Affinity chromatography of fibroblast growth factors on substituted polystyrene

The heparin-binding growth factors aFGF and bFGF (acidic and basic fibroblast growth factor) from crude bovine brain extract were co-eluted with purified [125I]aFGF and/or [125I]bFGF as tracers from heparin-Sepharose and from several insoluble substituted polystyrenes used as stationary phases in low-pressure affinity chromatography. The ability of the resins to isolate FGFs was determined by measuring the eluted radioactivity. It was demonstrated that the various substituted polystyrene resins retain [125I]aFGF and [125I]bFGF with different specificities according to the chemical nature of the substituted groups bound to the polystyrene support. Bifunctional resins substituted with sulphonate and phenylalanine sulphamide groups adsorbed both [125I]aFGF and [125I]bFGF whereas bifunctional resins substituted with sulphonate and sulphamide serine adsorbed only [125I]bFGF. These stationary phases could be adapted to high-performance affinity chromatography and used to isolate growth factors of the FGF family.

Thrombin binding properties of insoluble modified polystyrene: Part II

Antithrombin III (AT III) inhibits thrombin via an arginine-serine interaction. Insoluble polystyrene resins grafted with arginyl methyl ester have been synthesized, and their interaction with thrombin tested. One of these resins was selected for its high affinity for thrombin. In this paper we report the characteristics of this thrombin resin interaction. Using this substituted polystyrene resin as a support for affinity chromatography, we have compared the binding of thrombin with that of other proteins (prothrombin, Factor IXa, trypsin and AT III). It was found that 0.7 mg of highly purified human thrombin (2,100 U/mg) was bound to 1 g of resin. This could only be eluted at high ionic strength (1.5 M) and the amidolytic and clotting activities of the eluted thrombin remained unchanged. The binding of thrombin to the resin involves the active site of the enzyme but also other residues since, when DIP thrombin was used, the inactive enzyme could be eluted at lower ionic strength (1.0 M). This resin seems to be specific for thrombin because it does not bind the other serine-proteases (trypsin or Factor IXa), prothrombin (the inactive precursor of thrombin) or AT III. The arginyl residues of the resin are important for the specificity of the interaction with Factor IIa since prolyl residues are totally ineffective. Chromatography performed on such a resin is a very efficient method of purifying thrombin, and may be very useful for the removal of thrombin as a contaminant of plasma protein fractions.

Interactions between Derivatives of Insoluble Polystyrene and Human Antibodies to Factor VIII:C

In order to obtain completely synthetic adsorbents mimicking the interaction FVIII:C-AntiVIII:C, crosslinked polystyrene was modified by various amino acids or by some of their derivatives. The syntheses of the resins were achieved by a two step process:crosslinked polystyrene was first chlorosulfonated and subsequently amino acids were attached onto the polymer.Then, the “in vitro” removal of Anti VIII:C from hemophiliac’s immunoglobulins G (IgG) was tested by measuring simultaneous adsorptions of either IgG or Anti VIII:C onto the polymer surfaces. Among the different resins, some of them relatively possess specificity towards Anti III:C as they can adsord 60% of Anti VIII:C and only 16% of IgG from the starting material. Another ones unspecifically adsorb Anti VIII:C as well as the overall IgG.