INHIBITION OF COLLAGENASE ACTIVITY BY N-CHLOROTAURINE, A PRODUCT OF ACTIVATED NEUTROPHILS

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 H-3-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-chloroaranine, N-chloroleucine, and HOCl/OCl- failed to inhibit collagenase; in fact, N-chloroalanine and N-chloroleucine actually increased the proteolytic susceptibility of collagen. Conclusion. N-chlorotaurine may minimize damage to cartilaginous joint structures in inflammatory arthritis by inhibiting/inactivating Collagenase.