Biochemical characterization of acid proteases from the stomach of palometa (Pygocentrus nattereri, Kner 1858) with potential industrial application

Pepsin is one of the major enzymes with significant importance in the food industry, biomedicines, and pharmaceutical formulations. In this work, the main objective was to biochemically characterize a pepsin-like enzymatic extract obtained from Pygocentrus nattereri, a predatory freshwater fish, focusing on their potential industrial application. The obtained extract exhibited optimal activity at 45 °C and pH 1.0-2.0. These proteases remained stable after 2 h of incubation at temperatures ranging from 0° to 45 °C and within pH range of 1.0 to 7.0. Their activity was significantly affected in presence of pepstatin A and SDS, 10 μM and 3.46 mM respectively, while EDTA and PMSF showed partial inhibitory effects. Divalent cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+) did not inhibit the proteolytic activity of the extract; in fact, it improved at a 5 mM CaCl2 concentration. As the NaCl concentration increased, the enzyme activity decreased. However, after desalination, 90 % of the activity was recovered within the tested exposure time. Besides, this extract demonstrated exceptional versatility across diverse industrial applications, including collagen extraction augmentation, IgG hydrolysis facilitation, and silver and polyester recovery from X-ray films. Our results suggest that the obtained enzymatic extract has a wide range of potential applications.

Proteolytic, edematogenic and myotoxic activities of a hemorrhagic metalloproteinase isolated from Bothrops alternatus venom

A hemorrhagic metalloproteinase has been isolated from Bothrops alternatus venom from specimens that inhabit the north-east region of Argentina. The present study aimed at evaluating the proteolytic, hemorrhagic, edematogenic and myotoxic activities of the purified metalloproteinase, in order to consider its participation on the phatophysiology of the intoxication by Bothrops alternatus venom. The hemorrhagic metalloproteinase was isolated by a combination of DEAE-Cellulose chromatography and gel filtration on Sephadex G-75. The enzyme showed a molecular mass around 55k Da, it exhibited a hemorrhagic activity with a minimal hemorrhagic dose of 1.9 microg, almost two fold minor than the whole venom (3.6 microg). The enzyme showed a weak proteolytic activity on casein (18.72 U/mg enzyme), similar to the one exhibited by the whole venom (20 U/mg venom). Besides, the ability to degrade casein could be detected by SDS-PAGE; beta-casein was the fraction that showed the higher degradation, followed by alphas(1)-casein and kappa-casein degradation. The hemorrhagic metalloproteinase rapidly hydrolysed the A alpha-chain of fibrinogen, followed by B beta-chain degradation and leaving the gamma-chain unaffected. Proteolytic activities were inhibited by EDTA whereas they were not inhibited by benzamidine and PMSF. The metalloproteinase showed several polypeptides chains after autocatalytic processing, including a chain of 28k Da, it could be the processed disintegrin-like and cysteine-rich domains. The isolated enzyme exhibited myotoxic activity with high CK levels at 6h, due to local ischemia resulting of its hemorrhagic activity, and a significant edema-inducing effect (MED=1.3 microg), corroborated both results by the histological observations of samples of gastrocnemius muscle. These findings showed that this hemorrhagic metalloproteinase, possesses high edematogenic and myotoxic activities and, in despite of exhibiting a weak proteolytic activity, it is able to degrade fibrinogen. So, this enzyme would contribute markedly to the phatophysiology of the bothropic envenomation.

Duvernoy's gland secretion of Philodryas patagoniensis from the northeast of Argentina: its effects on blood coagulation

Duvernoy's gland secretion of Philodryas patagoniensis exhibits high hemorrhagic activity, containing enzymes that are able to degrade the vascular wall. In this work we aim to determine if the secretion can also affect the hemostatic system by causing changes in blood coagulation. Procoagulant and coagulant activities were evaluated on plasma and fibrinogen, respectively. The delay in the thrombin clotting time of fibrinogen previously incubated with the secretion was also determined. Specific hydrolysis of fibrinogen and fibrin incubated with the secretion at different time intervals was shown by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gel. To determine the structural characteristics of the enzymes degrading fibrinogen and fibrin, secretion were incubated in the presence of 45 mM Na(2)EDTA, 40 mM Benzamidine, and/or 2 mM PMSF before the incubation with fibrinogen or fibrin, respectively. The effect in vivo was investigated in adult male rats injected with different dose of secretion, aliquots of blood were withdrawn at different time intervals, and the fibrinogen concentration was determined. Duvernoy's gland secretion of P. patagoniensis did not clot plasma or fibrinogen. It exhibited a potent fibrinogenolytic activity degrading the Aalpha-chain faster than the Bbeta-chain, whereas gamma-chain was resistant. This latter corresponded with a strong delay in the thrombin clotting time of fibrinogen (4 mg/ml) pre-incubated with the secretion, being 9.53 microg the amount of protein from Duvernoy's gland secretion that increased the thrombin clotting time from 20 to 60 s. In vivo, the loss of rat plasma fibrinogen was proportional to the amount of secretion injected. The secretion also hydrolyzed fibrin degrading the alpha-monomer. Inhibition studies with Na(2)EDTA, Benzamidine, and/or PMSF showed that metalloproteinases and serinoproteinases are the main enzymes responsible for the hydrolyzing activity on fibrinogen and fibrin. All these results demonstrate that Duvernoy's gland secretion of P. patagoniensis possesses enzymes able to hydrolyze plasma components playing a relevant role in the blood coagulation. These hydrolyzing activities and those acting on the wall of blood vessels let the secretion exhibit a high hemorrhagic activity, which may result in permanent sequelae or even cause the death of the victims bitten by this colubrid snake.

Hemorrhagic activity of the Duvernoy's gland secretion of the xenodontine colubrid Philodryas patagoniensis from the north-east region of Argentina

Colubrid snakes belonging to Philodryas genus, widespread all over South America, bring about lesions (swelling, ecchymosis, transient bleeding from the bite site punctures), that are similar to those produced by Bothrops species (yarará). In the present work we began the characterization of Philodryas patagoniensis venom. We examined if this venom produces hemorrhagic lesions as those observed in victims bitten by Philodryas olfersii. Hemorrhagic, proteolytic and fibrinogenolytic activities were evaluated, and histological observations in samples of gastrocnemius muscle were carried out. Inhibition studies were carried out in metal chelator (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) presence. Our results show a small Minimum Hemorrhagic Dose (MHD=0.035 microg) and a high proteolytic activity (143 U/mg), and prove the capacity of this venom to degrade fibrinogen in vitro rendering it unclottable by thrombin, supporting the presence of proteases, principally metalloproteases, in P. patagoniensis venom that are able to alterate the vascular wall and degrade fibrinogen, being both activities responsible of a high hemorrhagic activity.