Inhibition of collagenase activity by N-chlorotaurine, a product of activated neutrophils.

Objective: To study the effects of N-chlorotaurine on collagenase activity, as a model of the effects of neutrophil activation in inflammatory arthritis.
Methods: Collagen degradation by collagenase was measured by the release of acid-soluble counts from 3H-collagen.
Results: N-chlorotaurine inhibited the degradation of collagen by bacterial collagenase. This result is explained by a direct inhibition/inactivation of collagenase, since N-chlorotaurine had no effect on the proteolytic susceptibility of collagen itself. The effect appears to be specific to N-chlorotaurine since N-chloroalanine, N-chloroleucine, and HOCl/OCl- failed to inhibit collagenase; in fact, N-chloroalanine and N-chloroleucine actually increased the proteolytic susceptibility of collagen.
Conclusion: N-chlorotaurine may minimize damage to cartilaginous joint structures in inflammatory arthritis by inhibiting/inactivating collagenase.