Acetylcholinesterase purification from human erythrocytes using magnetic nanoparticles containing procainamide.

This work presents a magnetic purification method of human erythrocyte Acetylcholinesterase (EC 3.1.1.7; AChE) based on affinity binding to procainamide (Proca) as ligand. Acetylcholinesterase is an acetylcholine-regulating enzyme found in different areas of the body and associated with various neurological disorders, such as Parkinson, Alzheymer and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. AChE from human erythrocyte purification has been attempted in recent years with low degree of purity. Here, magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) were synthesized and coated with polyaniline (PANI) and procainamide (PROCA) was covalently linked to the PANI. The extracted human erythrocyte AChE formed a complex with the MNP@PANI-PROCA and an external magnet separated it from the undesired proteins. Finally, the enzyme was collected by increasing the ionic strength. Experimental Box-Behnken design was developed to optimize this process of human erythrocyte AChE purification protocol. The enzyme was purified in all fifteen experiments. However, the best AChE purification result was achieved, about 2000 times purified, when 100 mg of MNP@PANI-PROCA was incubated for one hour with 4 ml hemolysate extract. The SDS-PAGE of this preparation presented a molecular weight of approximately 70 kDa, corroborating with few previous studies of AChE from erythrocyte purification.

Solution and solid state properties of a set of procaine and procainamide derivatives.

A set of potential Class III antiarrhythmic agents of structure p-HOOC-R-CO-NH-C(6)H(4)-CO-X-C(2)H(5)-N(C(2)H(5))(2) were isolated as crystalline solids of the amide and ester derivatives, I: succinylprocainamide (X=-NH-, R=-C(2)H(4)-); II: succinylprocaine (X=-O-, R=-C(2)H(4)-); III: maleylprocainamide (X=-NH-, R=-C(2)H(2)-) and IV: maleylprocaine (X=-O-, R=-C(2)H(2)-). Although compounds I-IV exhibit similar solution properties (i.e. acid-base speciation, with zwitterionic (+-) to neutral (00) form ratios higher than 10(4)), aqueous solubility of -NH- derivatives is significantly higher than that of -O- derivatives and also, solvent effects on solubility (i.e. the change of water by ethanol) is clearly different in both series. Solution and solid-state properties of I-IV were characterized to account for the observed differences. Results indicate that procainamide derivatives I and III crystallizes as (+-)(s) but procaine derivatives II and IV as (00)(s). Besides, I is anhydrous but II-IV are hydrates. Aqueous solubility and solvent effect on solubility are controlled by the intrinsic solubility of the species (+-) in I and III and (00) in II and IV. The rise of hydrophilicity of species (00) due to the structural change from -O- to -NH- would determine the change in the structure of the precipitating crystals from (00)(s) to (+-)(s). Solid structure (zwitterionic or neutral), as well as composition (anhydrous or hydrated) may be recognized as the main factors in determining the rank of aqueous solubility of the set: (+-)>(+-.H(2)O)>(00.H(2)O).

Interaction of the antiarrhythmic drug procainamide with phospholipid bilayers.

Several hypotheses link the molecular mechanism of action of the antiarrhythmic drugs (AAD) that belong to class I to non-specific interactions with phospholipids sited in the neighborhood of sodium channels in the membrane of the myocardium. Procainamide (PROC), one of the least lipophilic drugs of this group, was induced to interact with bilayers of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and dimirystoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DMPE), liposomes of DMPC and human erythrocytes. The perturbing effects of PROC upon these systems were respectively determined by X-ray diffraction, fluorescence spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that PROC exerted very little effect upon DMPC and DMPE even at such a high concentration as 10 mM. However, at therapeutical plasma concentrations, PROC induced shape changes in vitro to red cells.