In vitro studies on the effect of various antirheumatic drugs and alpha amino acids on elastase activit

Abstract EN

Elastase is a proteolytic enzyme contributing to tissue damage and pathology of RA.

the inhibitory effect of some anti-rheumatic drugs and a-amino acids on the elastase activity was studied in-vitro.

The anti-rheumatic drugs are namely acetyl-salicylic acid, indomethacin, prednisolone and choloroquine.

The amino acids are cystine, histidine, threonine, isoleucine, arginine, lysine, methionine, valine, alanine, phenyl-alanine, tryptophane, serine, tyrosine, glutamic acid and the amino acid proline.

The most inhibiting a-amino acids were tryptophane (95%), histidine (50%), glutamic acid, serine, valine, arginine (20%).

From the drugs chloroquine was found to fully inhibit the elastase activity whereas the other drugs exerted no inhibitory effect.

Prednisolone wUl probably follow another route for inhibition in vivo.