Inhibition of immune aggregate-induced activation of the first complement component by cationic polypeptides

A cationic amino acid copolymer (CP530) with a molar ratio of lysine, leucine, tryptophan and phenylalanine of 11:2:1:1 and a M_r of about 2300 was prepared and its inhibitory effects on the complement cascade was compared with those of polylysine with a M_r of about 3000. The effects of these two cationic peptides appeared to be at the early stage of complement activation. CP530 and polylysine inhibited the binding of C1q to insoluble IgG aggregates with a concentration required for 50% inhibition of 0.7 and 0.9 mM, respectively. Both compounds were also potent inhibitors of immune hemolysis (a concentration causing 50% inhibition, 0.5 and 3.5 μM respectively) as well as well as assembly of EAC cell intermediates required for formation of C3 and C5 convertases (a concentration for 50% inhibition of 1.0 μM for CP530 and 3.8 μM for polylysine). However, CP530 was shown to be distinctly more effective against the activation of C1r·Cls complex induced by insoluble IgG aggregate-bound C1q, requiring 0.15 mM for 50% inhibition compared to greater than 10 mM for polylysine. The 50% inhibition value for soluble IgG aggregate-induced activation of C1 in whole serum was 0.7 mM for CP530 and 5.0 mM for polylysine. The greater the inhibition of C1 activation by CP530 than that exerted by polylysine could be attributable to the presence of non-lysyl residues which provide the structural basis for specificity and potency.