Biochemical characterization of a new disintegrin, flavostatin, isolated from Trimeresurus flavoviridis venom

We biochemically characterized a new disintegrin, flavostatin, isolated from Trimeresurus flavoviridis venom. Flavostatin inhibited ADP-, collagen-, and thrombin receptor agonist peptide-induced platelet aggregation in human platelet-rich plasma (IC50 range. 59 to 111 nM) and blocked the binding of biotinylated human fibrinogen to purified GPIIb/IIIa with an inhibitory potency 31 000-fold higher than that of Ag-Gly-Asp-Ser (RGDS). Flavostatin strongly inhibited high-shear-stress-induced platelet aggregation in platelet-rich plasma (PRP) with an IC50 value of 188 nM. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated flavostatin saturably bound to unstimulated and ADP-stimulated washed platelets with high affinity (K-d values: 38 and 21 nM, respectively); the corresponding number of binding sites was 86 460 and 79 192 per platelet. In competition experiments with several glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonists, the binding of FITC-conjugated flavostatin to platelets was completely inhibited by ReoPro, triflavin, TP9201, MK383 and GR144053, but not by YM207, YM337 and B6A3.