Membranous nephropathy (MN) is the most common cause of the nephrotic syndrome in Europe, with an incidence of 5–10/million/year in adults [1]. Although MN can occur secondary to infections, systemic diseases, use of drugs or malignancies, in most patients no underlying cause is identified [idiopathic membranous nephropathy (iMN)]. Recent studies have identified antibodies against the M-type PL...

OBJECTIVE We sought to evaluate whether lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), an emerging marker of cardiovascular risk, is associated with prognosis in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). METHODS AND RESULTS Plasma concentrations and activity of Lp-PLA2 were determined in 1051 patients aged 30 to 70 years with CHD who were followed for &4 years. A Cox proportional hazard...

Macrophage-like P388D1 cells release [3H]arachidonic acid and produce prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) upon stimulation with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and platelet-activating factor (PAF). To determine whether group II phospholipase A2 (PLA2) is involved in this release, we treated P388D1 cells with antisense inhibitors specific for group II PLA2 RNA. Treatment with oligonucleotide ASGII decrea...

A new PLA2 (Bp-13) was purified from Bothrops pauloensis snake venom after a single chromatographic step of RP-HPLC on μ-Bondapak C-18. Amino acid analysis showed a high content of hydrophobic and basic amino acids and 14 half-cysteine residues. The N-terminal sequence showed a high degree of homology with basic Asp49 PLA2 myotoxins from other Bothrops venoms. Bp-13 showed allosteric enzymatic ...

Crotalus durissus terrificus snakes possess a protein in their blood, named crotoxin inhibitor from Crotalus serum (CICS), which protects them against crotoxin, the main toxin of their venom. CICS neutralizes the lethal potency of crotoxin and inhibits its phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activity. The aim of the present study is to investigate the specificity of CICS towards snake venom neurotoxic PLA2...

A series of benzophenone oximes appended with sydnone (3a--h) bearing different substituents on aroyl moiety were synthesized to evaluate in vivo and in vitro for their inhibitory activity against purified phospholipase A2 (PLA2) enzymes from snake venom and human inflammatory pleural and ascites fluid. In vivo and in vitro inhibition studies were carried out against PLA2 with respect to the mo...

AIMS We aimed to evaluate the association of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) with coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors, with the severity of angiographic CAD, and with the incidence of major adverse events. METHODS AND RESULTS We measured Lp-PLA2 levels in 504 consecutive patients undergoing clinically indicated coronary angiography. Mean age was 60+/-11 years and 38% ...

Cardiolipin, a major component of mitochondria, is critical for mitochondrial functioning including the regulation of cytochrome c release during apoptosis and proper electron transport. Mitochondrial cardiolipin with its unique bulky amphipathic structure is a potential substrate for phospholipase A2 (PLA2) in vivo. We have developed mass spectrometric methodology for analyzing PLA2 activity t...

BACKGROUND Findings regarding the association of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A₂ (Lp-PLA2) activity and mass with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) have been inconsistent, and their role in risk prediction is uncertain. METHODS A case-cohort sample from the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study (WHI-OS) comprised 1821 CVD cases and a reference subcohort of 1992 women. We u...