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• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12N—MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA
  • C12N9/00—Enzymes; Proenzymes; Compositions thereof; Processes for preparing, activating, inhibiting, separating or purifying enzymes
  • C12N9/0004—Oxidoreductases (1.)
  • C12N9/0012—Oxidoreductases (1.) acting on nitrogen containing compounds as donors (1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7)
  • C12N9/0014—Oxidoreductases (1.) acting on nitrogen containing compounds as donors (1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7) acting on the CH-NH2 group of donors (1.4)
  • C12N9/0022—Oxidoreductases (1.) acting on nitrogen containing compounds as donors (1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7) acting on the CH-NH2 group of donors (1.4) with oxygen as acceptor (1.4.3)
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P17/00—Drugs for dermatological disorders
  • A61P17/04—Antipruritics
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P37/00—Drugs for immunological or allergic disorders
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61P—SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITY OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS OR MEDICINAL PREPARATIONS
  • A61P37/00—Drugs for immunological or allergic disorders
  • A61P37/08—Antiallergic agents
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12Y—ENZYMES
  • C12Y104/00—Oxidoreductases acting on the CH-NH2 group of donors (1.4)
  • C12Y104/03—Oxidoreductases acting on the CH-NH2 group of donors (1.4) with oxygen as acceptor (1.4.3)
  • C12Y104/03022—Diamine oxidase (1.4.3.22)
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61K—PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES
  • A61K38/00—Medicinal preparations containing peptides

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a histaminase of vegetable origin to be used in the treatment of allergic and septic shock and of allergic asthma.
• the invention also regards the preparation of the histaminase for pharmaceutical use and the corresponding pharmaceutical compositions.
• Histaminase is an enzyme of the family of the amine oxidases. A method for its preparation is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,540, where histaminase is produced by micro-organisms and used for removing or degrading the histamine present in animal feed and in those foods that may be responsible for allergies, such as milk and its derivatives, so as to stem allergic phenomena affecting humans. Afterwards, histaminase is removed or in some way deactivated by the above-mentioned types of food.
• asthma is a chronic inflammatory state of the airways, in which numerous cells of the immune system co-operate, and which generates, in predisposed subjects, a constriction of the air flow at the bronchial level, with episodes of dyspnoea, breathlessness, thoracic oppression and coughing.
• the growing number of people in the world that suffer from asthma is a cause of great concern; today they amount to approximately 200 million (data issued by the World Health Organization). In 1997, 180,000 patients died from asthma (Humbert M., Le Scienze, 381 May 2000).
• Histamine is the principal chemical mediator of the first phase of allergic reactions, and it is also known that many of the drugs currently available and used for the treatment of these clinical situations interact to some extent with this substance both by interfering with its release and by blocking its action at a receptor level. Asthma and allergic shock have so far been treated using drugs, amongst which corticosteroids, anti-H 1 anti-histamines, ⁇ 2 stimulants and, in more serious forms, adrenaline. However, the above drugs present negative side effects.
• Salbutamol and ⁇ 2 agonists in general have revealed, when administered to humans in the course of illness, the onset of important side effects, such as tachycardia, arrhythmias, tremors, cephalea, nausea, and vomiting (Ahrens R. C., Smith G. D., Albuterol: An adrenergic agent for use in the treatment of asthma; pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and clinical use. Pharmacotherapy, May-June 1984; 4 (3): 105-21).
• adrenaline Another drug indicated both in attacks of asthma and in anaphylactic shock on account of its marked ⁇ 2 -agonist action is adrenaline, a drug which is certainly effective and frequently a life-saver in emergency situations, but which also presents dangerous side effects (hyperglycaemia, dyspnoea, tachycardia, arrhythmias, cephalea, vomiting, and dizziness, up to the point of triggering attacks of angina in cardiac patients), which relegate its use only to life-threatening situations (Hoffman B. B., Lefkowitz R. J., Catecholamines, sympathomimetic drugs and adrenergic receptor antagonists. In: Goodman and Gilman, The pharmacological basis of therapeutics, 9th edition.
• Ipratropium bromide an M 3 muscarine-receptor-antagonist drug for acetylcholine, has demonstrated a certain degree of efficacy as bronchodilatator and is considered a drug of second choice after ⁇ 2 stimulants, compared to which it is less effective, but also better tolerated (Lovine R. R. Ed., Subtype of muscarine receptors. VI Life Sci. 1995, 56: 801, 1002).
• the corticosteroids are the most effective drugs in the prevention of allergic reactions and present an action that is not only symptomatic, but also able to abolish some of the pathogenic mechanisms that underlie immuno-allergic phenomena. Their efficacy is beyond doubt both in attenuating the phenomenon in the acute phase and in the prevention of long-term relapse; however, in this case, the numerous side-effects of these drugs inevitably emerge (hyperglycaemia, osteoporosis, suppression of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, dysphoria/depression, increase in weight, hydro-saline retention, gastro-duodenal ulcer, cataract, hypertension, immuno-suppression, suspension syndrome) (Lipworth B. J., Clinical pharmacology of corticosteroids in bronchial asthma. Pharmacol. Ther. 1993; 58 (2): 173-209).
• H 1 anti-histamines have for some time now represented one of the corner stones in the treatment of allergic phenomena. Their action is based upon the occupation of the H 1 receptor (responsible for the effects of bronchoconstriction and cutaneous and mucous vasodilation), so that the histamine released by the immuno-phlogosis cells cannot express its action.
• Their acute effect is not particularly important, and they are in fact effective especially in the long-term prevention of attacks of asthma and of allergic cutaneous reactions.
• Their main side effects are at the level of the central nervous system (drowsiness) and of the gastro-intestinal apparatus (nausea, vomiting, epigastralgia, alterations of the alvus) (Holgate S. T., Antihistamines in the treatment of asthma. Clin. Rev. Allergy Spring 1994 ; 12 (1):65-78).
• the chromones (disodium chromoglycate, Nedocromil sodium) are used in the prevention of asthma attacks and above all of allergic rhinitis on account of their properties for stabilizing the mast-cell membrane; they do not present particular side effects (rare cases of sensitization, cephalea and nausea are reported) but have a modest efficacy, even in the mild forms of asthma (Brogden R. N., Sorkin E. M., Nedocromil sodium. An updated review of its pharmacological properties and therapeutic efficacy in asthma. Drugs, May 1993; 45 (5): 693-715).
• Leukotriene-receptor antagonists (Zafirlukast, Montelukast) have recently proved useful for reducing the use of corticosteroids in the prevention of asthma attacks in mild-to-moderate forms; however, their action starts to appear only after 2 weeks of treatment (Diamant Z., Sampson A. P., Anti-leukotriene therapy for asthma. In: Anti-inflammatory drugs in asthma. Sampson & Church Eds., Birhimuser, Basel, 1999).
• Another object of the invention is to make available a drug for the treatment of histamine-mediated affections.
• a further object of the invention is the use of a particular histaminase (Enzyme Commission EC 1.4.3.6) of vegetable origin that presents, amongst its innumerable advantages, a considerable ease of production, a high stability and a high level of activity.
• histaminase Enzyme Commission EC 1.4.3.6
• Another object is the method of production of the histaminase of vegetable origin for pharmaceutical purposes.
• compositions comprising, as active principle, the histaminase of vegetable origin, and the corresponding dosages and administration protocols.
• Still another object is represented by the injectable and spray pharmaceutical formulations.
• the term “histaminase” is meant to embrace the entire class of copper amine oxidases of plants (known to a person skilled in the branch) in so far as they all have the same mechanism of action for the purposes of the present invention.
• histaminase of vegetable origin has proven suited on account of its ease of production and owing to its stability and high activity, and histaminase isolated from leguminous plants has proven particularly suited.
• the source of histaminase of vegetable origin is constituted preferably by etiolated seedlings of leguminous plants, such as Pisum sativum L., Lens culinaris, Cicer arietinum, and Latirus sativus, as well as corresponding mixtures.
• the vegetable material in general, etiolated seedlings of approximately 10 days old
• the homogenization being a procedure known to a person skilled in the art, in acidic condition, namely, at pH ⁇ 7, preferably at pH ⁇ 5.5 in phosphate buffer at low ionic strength ( ⁇ 100 mM).
• Particularly preferred is homogenization conducted with phosphate buffer, approximately 50 mM, pH 3.5-5.
• the homogenate thus treated is then subjected to extraction and purification according to conventional procedures known to a person skilled in the art.
• the stage of homogenization referred to above is advantageous in that it makes it possible to obtain, in an extremely simplified way, as starting product for the subsequent extraction, only the proteins bonded ionically to the cell walls and in general to the corpusculated fractions, and not the total soluble proteins. Consequently, it is possible to obtain the enzyme with a high degree of purity with just two chromatographic passes, which are simple and inexpensive.
• the protein purified using this method is characterized by a high specific activity (in the region of 60 UE/mg, where UE (enzymatic unit) is the quantity of protein that catalyses the conversion of one ⁇ mole of substrate per minute), appears homogeneous in electrophoresis, and presents spectroscopic characteristics typical of histaminase.
• the chemico-physical and enzymatic characteristics of the enzyme purified by us match those of the pure enzyme described in the literature. (Kumar et al., Crystal structure of Eukaryotic (pea seedling) copper containing amine oxidase. Structure, 1996, vol. 4, par. 8, pp. 943-955).
• histaminase immobilized on a biocompatible insoluble matrix For the purposes of the invention, it is also possible to use histaminase immobilized on a biocompatible insoluble matrix.
• the histaminase was bound on CNBr-activated Sepharose 4B® and on Activated CH-Sepharose 4B®, following the procedures recommended by the supplier of the resins (Amersham, Pharmacia-Biotech).
• the immobilized enzyme in both formulations, proved more resistant to hydrolysis catalysed by proteolithic enzymes as compared to the free enzyme.
• the enzyme may be lyophilized using known techniques; the enzyme thus prepared is stable for various months.
• the pharmaceutical preparations may be prepared with this lyophilized enzyme.
• the lyophil is dissolved at the moment of use in the solvent (e.g., apyrogenic physiological solution buffered at pH 7.4 or other iso-osmotic solutions) and injected, for instance via parenteral route, in emergency treatment of anaphylactic and septic shock and in the state of asthmatic disease.
• the solvent e.g., apyrogenic physiological solution buffered at pH 7.4 or other iso-osmotic solutions
• the enzyme in sterile solution maintains its own activity practically unaltered for at least 15 days at room temperature.
• the spray form is particularly indicated in the treatment of acute attacks of asthma and in its daily prophylaxis.
• compositions containing the histaminase may be obtained by mixing together effective quantities of the active principle with diluents and/or excipients known to a person skilled in the art to obtain injectable formulations, for example administrable by parenteral route, or spray formulations.
• the invention also relates to the treatment of histamine-mediated affections in general and of allergies in particular, consisting in the administration of pharmacologically acceptable doses of histaminase.
• the doses and the modalities of administration vary according to the type and gravity of the affection.
• Therapeutic dosages may be recommended ranging between 0.01 mg and 1 mg per administration.
• the vegetable material (500 g of etiolated seedlings of Pisum sativum L. of approximately 10 days old) is homogenized with 2 litres of a phosphate buffer 50 mM, pH 4.2.
• the homogenate is appropriately filtered, and the residue, which consists prevalently of cell walls, vascular fibres and sub-cellular organelles, is washed with a litre of the same buffer.
• the material thus obtained is extracted with 0.5 litres of a 20% saturated solution of ammonium sulphate in a phosphate buffer 50 mM, pH 4.2.
• Ammonium sulphate is added to the solution thus obtained up to a saturation of the 70%, the solution being then left for two hours at 4° C. and then centrifuged at 7000 r.p.m. for 30 minutes.
• the precipitate is diluted with 0.2 litres of phosphate buffer 50 mM, pH 7.2, and dialysed against the same buffer.
• the solution undergoes chromatography using a column of diethylaminoethyl-cellulose (DEAE-Cellulose), volume of the gel 0.3 litres, previously equilibrated with phosphate buffer 15 mM, pH 7.2. In these conditions, the histaminase is not bound to the matrix and is contained in the effluent.
• DEAE-Cellulose diethylaminoethyl-cellulose
• the effluent of the DEAE is charged on a column of hydroxyl apatite, volume of the gel 0.03 litres, previously equilibrated with phosphate buffer 15 mM, pH 7.2.
• the column is washed with phosphate buffer 30 mM, pH 7.2, and eluted with a linear gradient of concentration of phosphate buffer, pH 7.2, between 50 and 180 mM.
• the fractions with highest specific activity, understood as enzymatic activity per amount of total protein, are re-united and represent the purified preparation of the enzyme histaminase.
• the enzyme is then lyophilized starting from a solution of the histaminase in phosphate buffer 10 mM pH 7.4 containing NaCl 0.15 M.
• the lyophilized enzyme is readily soluble in apyrogenic bi-distilled water up to a volume equal to the starting volume for lyophilization. For use, a single dose containing from 10 mcg to 1 mg of enzyme is administered.

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• 2000
  • 2000-11-29 IT IT2000RM000626A patent/IT1317067B1/it active
• 2001
  • 2001-11-27 DE DE60125585T patent/DE60125585D1/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2001-11-27 US US10/433,075 patent/US20040115189A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2001-11-27 AT AT01998357T patent/ATE349222T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
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