RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Stabilization of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide by Lipids JF Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics JO J Pharmacol Exp Ther FD American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics SP 753 OP 758 VO 285 IS 2 A1 Gololobov, Gennady A1 Noda, Yasuko A1 Sherman, Simon A1 Rubinstein, Israel A1 Baranowska-Kortylewicz, Janina A1 Paul, Sudhir YR 1998 UL http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/285/2/753.abstract AB An anionic phospholipid, phosphatidylglycerol (PG), induced vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) to adopt a helical conformation, determined by circular dichroism studies. PG inhibited the trypsin-catalyzed, antibody-catalyzed and uncatalyzed cleavage of VIP, measured by radiometric and HPLC methods. Phosphatidylcholine, a neutral lipid, did not alter the circular dichroism spectra of VIP, and it was without detectable effect on the rates of VIP cleavage. Trypsin-catalyzed cleavage of Boc-Ile-Glu-Arg-methylcoumarinamide, a substrate unrelated in sequence to VIP, proceeded at equivalent rates in the absence and presence of PG, which suggests that the phospholipid did not exert a nonspecific inhibitory effect on the enzyme. Study of the kinetics of antibody-catalyzed VIP cleavage indicated that the inhibition by PG was due to decreased affinity for VIP, suggested by observations of increased Km values and unalteredVmax values. Incorporation of VIP in the liposomes and the liposomal surface permitted maintenance of the peptide in essentially undegraded form at 37°C for 8 days. The longevity of liposomal VIP administered i.v. to mice was increased by about 5-fold compared with aqueous VIP. These observations indicate that certain phospholipids and liposomes can be applied to circumvent the rapid loss of VIP in vitro and in vivo due to degradative processes. The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics