One-step purification of histidine-rich polypeptides form human parotid saliva and determination of anti-candidal activity.

Immunoadsorption affinity chromatography was used to selectively purify the family of the histidine-rich polypeptides (HRPs) from human parotid saliva. The immunoadsorbent was prepared by coupling an enriched preparation of horse anti-(HRPs 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) IgG to protein G. Both freshly collected stimulated untreated and acidified boiled salivas (5 ml) were applied to the affinity column. When native saliva was used it appeared that all of the components of saliva, with the exception of the HRPs, were present in the fraction nonadsorbed to the affinity column; however, recovery of the HRPs with 0.2 M sodium acetate-HCl, pH 1.8, was poor. Yields of HRPs desorbed from the column with the pH 1.8 treatment were significantly improved if salivary HRP proteolysis was delayed immediately after collection by acidifying the saliva to pH 4.5 followed by a short boiling time period, which neither affected HRP quantification nor biological activity. Affinity chromatography results were checked both by cationic polyacrylamide gel and by capillary electrophoresis. Antifungal activity was found to reside only in the low pH HRP fraction of the immunoadsorbent column, suggesting that it is the histidine-rich family of polypeptides that is responsible for salivary antifungal action.