ISOATION OF PROTEIN AND PEPTIDE PROM URINE Technical Field:
The present invention relates to the extraction and j. purification of two types of antineoplastic substances that are ^ present in hitman urine and to methods for the extraction and 5 purification thereof. In particular, it relates to two types of antineoplastic fractions, a low molecular weight peptide and high molecular weight protein which are extractable from human urine by adsorption upon a synthetic magnesium silica gel and subsequent elution therefrom. 0 Background Art:
The presence of antineoplastic peptides in human urine was described by Burzynski e_t al. in a.series of publications [Physiol. Chem. Phys., 5_, 436 (19731; 6_, 457 (.19741; :8, 13 C1976) , 275 C1976)3. These peptides showed antineoplastic activity 5 against various human tumor cell lines and did not affect the growth of normal cells. These urinary peptides were prepared by 80% et-hanol extraction of urine followed by free flow elec- trophoresis, paper chromatography and finally, preparative thin layer chromatography. 0 Plorisil, a synthetic magnesium silicate prepared by the Floridin Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been used as an adsorbent for. biologically active materials in human urine, as described by Sloane in U. S. Patents Nos. 3,711,377, January 16, 1973, and 3,884,760, May 20, 1975. These patents 3 describe the adsorption of a fibrinalytic protein enzyme from human urine by Plorisil and the subsequent elution of this protein enzyme from the Florisil adsorbent. Disclosure of Invention:
Generally, in accordance with the present invention, H< human urine is passed through an adsorbent bed of synthetic
* magnesium silicate which extracts two fractions, a peptide
* fraction and a protein fraction, along with several other un¬ identified components. The adsorbent bed is then washed with cold distilled water to remove the remaining urine. Each of 5 the desired antineoplastic fractions, the peptide fraction and the protein fraction, is sequentially eluted from the magnesium silicate. The low molecular weight peptide fraction is first
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eluted with, aqueous acetone at slightly alkaline pH_ There¬ after, the highmolecular weight protein fraction is eluted by a mixture of water, acetone and glycerol at "slightly alkaline pH. The peptide fraction is concentrated "in vacuo to remove acetone and the remaining aqueous solution of the peptide is further purified By membrane filtration. After dialysis to remove ace¬ tone and glycerol, the protein fraction is purified, by membrane filtration and gel filtration.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a material extractable from human urine and having significant antineoplastic activity. It is also an object to provide a method or extracting from human urine a material having signi¬ ficant antineoplastic activity, yarious other objects and advantages will be noted whe the following description is considered. Best Mode For Carrying Out The -Invention:
In accordance with the present invention, both an antineoplastic peptide fraction and an antineoplastic protein fraction are adsorbed from human urine by an adsorbent, such as Plorisil. Each of these antineoplastic fractions is separately eluted from the Plorisil. The antineoplastic peptide is eluted initially by an aqueous acetone solution at slightly alkaline pH; the antineoplastic protein is then eluted by an acetone- glycerol-water mixture at slightly alkaline pH. Each of the human urinary anti-neoplastic fractions inhibits the growth of human tumor cell lines without affecting normal human diploid cells. Furthermore, the protein fraction inhibits the growth of certain human tumor cells implanted in a nude mouse.
The chemical and biological properties of the extracted and purified antineoplastic peptide fraction isolated from human urine are as follows:
Cl} The molecular weight of the peptide is approxi¬ mately 600 as determined by filtration through Amicon Diaflo membranes.
C21 The peptide is stable to heat at 90°C for ten minutes.
C31 The antineoplastic activity of the peptide is almost totally destroyed upon treating the dry fraction with either anhydrous methanol or absolute ethyl alcohol. After
either of these alcohol treatments the dried fraction is essen¬ tially inactive as an antineoplastic agent#
C41 The cctive peptide fraction shows an Rf value between 0.4 - 0.6 upon paper chromatography in an n*-Butanol: 5 acetic acid: pyridine: water system C30: 6: 20: 241..
1 C51 The active peptide fraction shows antineoplastic activity against the following human tumor cell lines: breast, melanoma, pancreas, bladder and lung. These antineoplastic activities are measured in vitro by tissue culture techniques. 10 The chemical and Biological properties of the extracted and purified antineoplastic urinary C Ul protein are as follows: Cll The molecular weight of the ANU-protein is between 20,000 - 40,000 daltons.
C2Ϊ The ANU-protein contains carbohydrate, is heat 15 stable at 90°C for twenty -minutes, soluble in phenol saturated with water and- stable to acid at pH.2 at 4°C for 48 hours.
C31 The ANU-protein fraction inhibits the growth of the following human tumor cell lines: breast, melanoma, Bladder, cervix and lung. 20 G41 The ANU-protein is non-toxic to human diploid cell lines.
C51 The ANU-protein is a specific antineoplastic agent for human tumor cell lines since neither mouse tumor cell lines nor normal ouse cells are affected by ANU-protein. 25 "(61 The ANU-protein represses the growth and causes regression of human tumor cell lines, for example, the SEP-2 human lung tumor cell lines implanted in the nude mouse.
(7) The ANU-protein does not inhibit human pancreas tumor cell lines .PA C/3 or SV-40 transformed WI-38 human lung 30 cells.
C8) The ANU-protein does not exhibit antiviral- activity. ft In one embodiment of the present invention, Plorisil in two mesh sizes, 15-30 mesh and 30-60 mesh, is prepared for 35 adsorption first by flotation removal of the fines, then sus¬ pension in dilute ascorbic acid CpH 3-41 at room temperature for several hours before use.
Voided human urine is poured collected in Bulk., and
Boric acid crystals and the Butyl ester of p-h-ydroxyBenzoic acid are placed in the containers to prevent Bacterial growth. About one liter of the collected urine, at room temperature, is poured through a stack of two jersey fabric bags containing Florisil. The upper Bag contains aBout 0.5 pound of 15-30 mesh Plorisil and the lower Bag contains aBout 0.5 pound of 30-60 mesh Florisil. The use of two Bags of different mesh Florisil prevents clogging. When voided human urine is collected in situ at a urinal and Plorisil granules are carried on a tray as descriBed in Sloane's TJ. S. Patent No. 3,711,377, a jersey faBric Bag of pellets of Boric acid with P-hydroxyBenzoic acid Butyl ester is placed on top of the two Plorisil containing Bags.
After the urine has fully contacted the Plorisil to permit adsorption of the desired materials, the Plorisil is washed .with aBout three liters of cold distilled water (aBout 4°Cl. All suBsequent elution and purification procedures are performed at aBout 2-4°C.
The antineoplastic peptide fraction is eluted with aBout 1500 ml cold aqueous acetone 0-5%). at pH 9.-9.5. This fraction is then adjusted to pH 7-7.5 with.2 normal cold HCl and concentrated By removal of acetone in vacuo. The concen¬ trate is purified By passage through an Amicon Diaflo TJM2 memBrane, which restrains materials having molecular weights greater than aBout 1,000, then through an Amicon Diaflo UM05 memBrane, which restrains materials having molecular weights greater than aBout 600. This filtered fraction is further purified By standard paper chromatography techniques.
After the peptide fraction has.Been first eluted, the antineoplastic protein fraction is then eluted from the Plorisil By aqueous aceton C15%) containing 30% glycerol at- pH-9-9.5. The protein eluate is adjusted to pH 7-7.5 with two normal HCl and then concentrated By filtration through an Amicon Diaflo memBrane UM20; which restrains materials having molecular weights in excess of aBout 20,000. The desired antineoplastic protein does not pass through this memBrane. The protein solution is then dialyzed against distilled water and lyophilized. The lyophilized protein is further purified By Sephacryl S-200 chromatography at neutral pH, phosphate buffered at 0.1 mol
The purified antineoplastic protein yield is approximately 300- ug per liter of urine, at a concentration approximately 50Q times the concentration in urine. The purified ANU-protein «*• exhibits anti-neoplastic activity at concentrations of less tha 5 1 ug protein per milliliter of -medium.
Nude mice experiments were performed in the following manner:
4- to 6-week, old NIH athymic (nu/nu mice were trans¬ planted suBcutaneously with human carcinoma cell line HEP 2 10 IO cells/mice) . Four days post transplantation separate groups of mice were treated subcutaneously once every 3 days with 1 ug of pure or crude ANU-protein in medium. Control groups received 0.1 ml of medium containing 10% fetal calf serum. Tumor growth was monitored for 3-4 weeks. At the end 15 of this period, tumor volumes were measured and the tissues processed for histology. A minimum of eight mice were used in each group. Additional control groups received ANU-protein alone in medium without tumor transplant. Treatment with crude
ANU-protein resulted in a significant reduction in tumor volume
20 C4.1 cm 3 to 1.8 cm3 averagel. Treatment with semi-purified
ANU-protein resulted in total regression of tumor in four of eight cases and significant reduction in tumor size in the remaining animals.
In vitro studies were performed in the ollowing
25 manner:
Approximately 10 cells of each cell line under study were inoculated with 5 ml of the medium into cell culture
2 flasks CPalcon #3013 flasks, 25 cm area); the protein fractions were dissolved in phosphate buffered saline and added to the 30 cells in the medium. The cultures were incubated at 37° with 5% CO.. for 96-144 hours; control flasks contained additional buffer. At the end of the assay period, the cells were counted
D after removal from the flask by EDTA-trypsin solution C-Gibcol. The ANU-protein inhibited the growth of human breast, 35 melanoma, bladder, cervix and lung tumor cell lines.
While a preferred embodiment has been described here- inabσve, it will Be recognized that there is no intent to limit the invention by such disclosure, but rather it is intended to
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cover all modifications and variations falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
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