title: Differences in elastase-binding activity of alpha 1-protease inhibitor and alpha 2-macroglobulin for asthma patients and control subjects with various alpha 1-protease inhibitor phenotypes.
abstract: Forty-two adult patients with asthma and 30 control subjects were investigated for elastase-binding capacities of alpha 1-protease inhibitor and alpha 2-macroglobulin in plasma. The binding activities of alpha 1-protease inhibitor and alpha 2-macroglobulin in asthmatic patients with the M phenotype for the alpha 1-protease inhibitor differed in their relationship to the values in control subjects with the same phenotype [less alpha 1-protease inhibitor for asthmatics (35.1 +/- 1.8) than for controls (42.9 +/- 2.0 kU/L) (P < 0.001); more alpha 2-macroglobulin for asthmatics (6.9 +/- 0.3) than for control subjects (5.9 +/- 0.4 kU/L) (P < 0.03)]. In contrast, the patients with a deficiency allele (S, V, or Z) for alpha 1-protease inhibitor had lower activities of both alpha 1-protease inhibitor [22.1 +/- 0.1 vs 42.9 +/- 2.0 kU/L (P < 0.001)] and alpha 2-macroglobulin [4.6 +/- 0.6 vs 5.9 +/- 0.4 kU/L (P < 0.001)] than did the control subjects with the M phenotypes. The relevance of the results to the pathogenesis of asthma is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand Medical School, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Gaillard
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Reichberg
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Nogueira
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Kilroe-Smith
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000483:Alleles; D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010179:Pancreas / Q000201:enzymology; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D010641:Phenotype; D000515:alpha 1-Antitrypsin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000515:alpha 1-Antitrypsin; D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase