Effects of an aglycone-rich biotransformed soybean extract in human endothelial cells.

Estrogen replacement therapy is not thought to be a safe treatment for prevention of cardiovascular disease in menopausal women; isoflavones are a possible alternative. Estrogen produces beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system by enhancing production of nitric oxide, a vasoprotective and antiatherosclerotic agent. Estrogen-like compounds such as isoflavones are also suggested for increasing nitric oxide production. Isoflavones are present mainly in soy foods as glucosides, but soy isoflavone aglycones, the biologically active estrogen-like compounds, are absorbed faster and in higher amounts than their glucoside derivatives and show higher biological activity, implying that they may be more effective in preventing chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease. We evaluated an extract of soybeans fermented by Aspergillus awamori on which polyphenol glucosides were biotransformed to aglycone forms on production of nitric oxide, prostaglandin E2 and endothelin-1 in vitro in human endothelial cells, comparing it with a non-fermented extract. Bioconverted soybean extracts enhanced endothelin-1, nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 production, while the unfermented extract only enhanced endothelin-1 production. Thus, only the aglycone-rich forms of soybean extracts were able to increase nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 production, demonstrating that, in endothelial cells in vitro, they may be usable as therapeutic agents against the development of atherosclerosis.

Interaction of bovine alpha2 macroglobulin with proteinases

Alpha2, Macroglobulina, uma proteína inibidora de proteases, foi isolada do plasma bovino. O processo de purificaçäo foi monitorado por imunodifusäo e imunoeletroforese cruzada com soro anti alpha2M-humana. Para as determinaçöes quantitativas foi preparado um soro anti alpha2M bovino. A preparaçäo mais pura de alpha2M foi obtida por cromatografia de afinidade e usada como padräo primário na imunodifusäo radial de Mancini. Preparaçöes de alpha2M foram usadas em testes de ligaçäo com tripsina e plasmina (tituladas com NPGB). Nos testes de ligaçäo 50 por cento de plasmina e 35 por cento de tripsina foram "protegidas" pela alpha2M. Näo foi possível determinar se houve incidência na ligaçäo ou se a perda de atividade ocorreu por alteraçöes na afinidade do complexo alpha2M-protease, em relaçäo aos substratos usados

Urokinase-plasminogen activator from bovine plasma obtained by cellulose sulfate precipitation

Plasma bovino tratado com sulfato de celulose produz, em placas de fibrina, múltiplas formas de ativadores de plasminogênio. A fraçäo fibrinoliticamente mais ativa foi isolada por eletroforese preparativa. Testes amidolíticos com substratos cromogênicos e testes de imunodifusäo radial com anticorpos monoclonais revelaram que o ativador de plasminogênio isolado neste trabalho possui propriedades semelhantes às da uroquinase