• Steven M Opal, Yow-Pin Lim, Patricia Cristofaro, Andrew W Artenstein, Noubar Kessimian, David Delsesto, Nicolas Parejo, John E Palardy, and Edward Siryaporn.
• Infectious Disease Research Laboratory, Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, Pawtucket, RI 02860, USA. Steven_Opal@brown.edu
• Shock. 2011 Jan 1; 35 (1): 424442-4.

AbstractHuman inter-α inhibitor proteins are endogenous human plasma proteins that function as serine protease inhibitors. Inter-α inhibitor proteins can block the systemic release of proteases in sepsis and block furin-mediated assembly of protective antigen, an essential stop in the intracellular delivery of the anthrax exotoxins, lethal toxin and edema toxin. Inter-α inhibitor proteins administered on hour or up to 24 h after spore challenge with Bacillus anthracis Sterne strain protected mice from lethality if administered with antimicrobial therapy (P < 0.001). These human plasma proteins possess combined actions against anthrax as general inhibitors of excess serine proteases in sepsis and specific inhibitors of anthrax toxin assembly. Inter-α inhibitor proteins could represent a novel adjuvant therapy for the treatment of established anthrax infection.

23 keywords...

hide…