title: Inhibition of collagenase activity by N-chlorotaurine, a product of activated neutrophils.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effects of N-chlorotaurine on collagenase activity, as a model of the effects of neutrophil activation in inflammatory arthritis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Collagen degradation by collagenase was measured by the release of acid-soluble counts from 3H-collagen.
  
  
  RESULTS
  N-chlorotaurine inhibited the degradation of collagen by bacterial collagenase. This result is explained by a direct inhibition/inactivation of collagenase, since N-chlorotaurine had no effect on the proteolytic susceptibility of collagen itself. The effect appears to be specific to N-chlorotaurine since N-chloroalanine, N-chloroleucine, and HOCl/OCl- failed to inhibit collagenase; in fact, N-chloroalanine and N-chloroleucine actually increased the proteolytic susceptibility of collagen.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  N-chlorotaurine may minimize damage to cartilaginous joint structures in inflammatory arthritis by inhibiting/inactivating collagenase.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Albany Medical College, New York 12208.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Horwitz
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Davies
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism; D006997:Hypochlorous Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D061965:Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitors; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D013654:Taurine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D061965:Matrix Metalloproteinase Inhibitors; D013654:Taurine; C043410:N-chlorotaurine; D006997:Hypochlorous Acid; D003094:Collagen