Inhibitory effects of aryl trans-4-(aminomethyl)cyclohexanecarboxylate and aryl trans-4-(guanidinomethyl)cyclohexanecarboxylate on serine proteases, and their antiallergic effects

Since serine protease in involved in histamine release from mast cells, we attempted to prepare new protease inhibitors, trans-4-(guanidinomethyl)cyclohexanecarboxylic acid (GmcHX-CO2H) esters, and examined their inhibitory effects on typical serine proteases and on histamine release induced by compound 48/80. We compared their effects with those of trans-4-(aminomethyl)cyclohexanecarboxylic acid (AmcHx-CO2H) esters. AmcHxCO2H and GmcHxCO2H esters inhibited the esterolytic activity of trypsin, but GmcHx-CO2H esters had little or no inhibitory effect on caseinolytic activity whereas AmcHxCO2H esters strongly inhibited the latter. AmcHCO2H esters strongly inhibited plasmin but had no effect on chymotrypsin. GmcHxCO2H esters strongly inhibited the esterolytic activity of chymotrypsin, but had no effect on chymotrypsin-induced caseinolysis. Both GmcHxCO2H an AmcHxCO2H esters inhibited urokinase. Of the esters of AmcHxCO2H and GmcHxCO2H tested, only GmcHxCO2H p-tert-butylphenyl ester (GmcHxCOOPhBut) at low concentration (27 microM) strongly inhibited histamine release from rat mast cells induced by compound 48/80. GmcHxCOOPhBut was effective in preventing active systemic anaphylaxis and passively sensitized guinea pigs. Its effectiveness in preventing anaphylactic phenomena might be due to its strong inhibitory effects on histamine release from mast cells.