An evaluation of the utility of benzoyl-DL-arginine-beta-naphthyl-amide for the assay of thrombin activity in blood

Stability in rat plasma and serum of lysosomally degradable oligopeptide sequences in N-(2-hydroxypropyl) methacrylamide copolymers

Soluble copolymers of N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPMA) were prepared containing either oligopeptide side chains terminating in rho-nitroaniline, or oligopeptide sequences forming crosslinks between polymer chains. Such copolymers have potential as targetable drug carriers and already it has been shown that oligopeptide side chains and oligopeptide crosslinks are degraded intracellularly by lysosomal enzymes. The susceptibility of these oligopeptide sequences to degradation on incubation with rat plasma or rat serum was evaluated by monitoring either the liberation of rho-nitroaniline or, with the crosslinked polymers, the change in molecular weight distribution. Release of rho-nitroaniline from some of the polymers was not detectable, and from others proceeded very slowly, the maximum rate being from the side chain Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu-Gly-Phe-NAp where 5.1% of the bound rho-nitroaniline was released by rat serum over a 5 h incubation period. No cleavage of crosslinked HPMA copolymers by plasma or serum was detectable even after a 24 h incubation period.

The assay of factor V in plasma using a synthetic chromogenic substrate

An analytical procedure using a synthetic substrate was devised for the determination of factor V in plasma. Factor V was activated by the reaction of immunobilized thrombin and incubated with an optimal concentration of a factor Xa, phospholipid, calcium and prothrombin. The thrombin generated was determined with the chromogenic substrate (Testzym S-2238). The initial rate of hydrolysis of the substrate was directly proportional to the factor V concentration. Effectors in plasma, such as prothrombin, fibrinogen, antithrombins and bilirubin, were controlled to minimize their effects. The normal value of factor V was from 3.3 to 5.5 units.