Gene delivery of the elastase inhibitor elafin protects macrophages from neutrophil elastase-mediated impairment of apoptotic cell recognition

Gene transfer of the serine elastase inhibitor elafin protects against vein graft degeneration.

BACKGROUND Leukocyte infiltration and serine elastase activity lead to smooth muscle cell proliferation in association with posttransplant coronary arteriopathy and may also be involved in vein graft neointimal formation. A number of therapies have targeted cellular proliferation, but the inhibition of serine elastase-mediated extracellular matrix remodeling has not been investigated as a poten...

In vivo adenovirus-mediated expression of human pre-elafin, a potent neutrophil elastase inhibitor.

Overexpression of the serine elastase inhibitor elafin protects transgenic mice from hypoxic pulmonary hypertension.

BACKGROUND Increased serine elastase activity has been implicated in the vascular remodeling associated with chronic hypoxia-related pulmonary hypertension in rats. METHODS AND RESULTS In this study we determined the time course of hypoxia-induced serine elastase activity in the murine lung and related this to initiation of a proteolytic cascade characterized by an increase in matrix metallop...

Neutrophil Elastase Inhibitor Elafin Triggers Rb-Mediated wth Arrest and Caspase-Dependent Apoptosis

Downlo in, an endogenous inhibitor of neutrophil elastase, is expressed in human mammary epithelial cells but scriptionally downregulated in breast cancer cells. We hypothesized that elafin may exert a tumorssive activity in the context of breast cancer. In this study, we show that the retinoblastoma (Rb) pathoverns the antitumor properties of elafin. In breast cancer cells with functional Rb, ...

Arterial elastase activity after balloon angioplasty and effects of elafin, an elastase inhibitor.

Increased proteolytic activity may be a factor in intimal hyperplasia after balloon angioplasty (BA). The objectives of this study were to assess elastase activity after BA in a rabbit arterial double-injury model and the effects of elastase inhibition. Elastase activity increased immediately after BA, reached an 8-fold peak at 1 week, and declined to baseline levels by 4 weeks. Elastin zymogra...