Phosphonate-phospholipid analogues inhibit human phospholipase A2.

A phosphonate-containing phospholipid (PL) analogue (Compound 1) designed as a transition-state inhibitor competively inhibits non-human extracellular PLA2 at a mole fraction of 0.003 in the kinetic "scooting mode" (Jain et al., Biochem 28:4135 (1989]. To further profile the activity of Compound 1, we examined its activity with purified human enzyme and in whole cell systems. Compound 1 effectively inhibited a 14 kDa human PLA2 purified from joint synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis using 3H-AA labeled E. coli as substrate (IC50 = 1.7 microM) and a high MW PLA2 (110 kDa) isolated from the cytosol of a human monocytic cell line, U-937, which selectively hydrolyzes AA-containing PL (IC50 = 165 microM). It failed to reduce A23187-induced PGE2 or LTC4 production by human adherent monocytes or LTB4 release from human neutrophils which may be due, in part, to poor membrane partitioning.