The Saga of κ-Elastin or the Promotion of Elastin Degradation Products from “Garbage” to Receptor Agonists and Pharmacologically Active Principles

Abstract

In this review article, dedicated to Prof. Ines Mandl, for her 90st birthday, some of the essential steps of our research over the years on elastin are described. Insoluble fibrous elastin could be “solubilized” by 1M KOH in 80% aqueous ethanol at room temperature. The large peptides obtained were designated kappa-elastin after a suggestion by I. Mandl. These peptides were widely used for biological, biochemical and pharmacological studies and were also commercialized and applied in “anti-aging” preparations. Kappa-elastin was used to demonstrate the importance of hydrophobic interactions in the stalilization of elastin fibers. It was used also as an “agonist” for studies on the elastin receptor and its age-dependent modifications (uncoupling). Kappa-elastin became also an important ingredient for dermocosmetology. This review spans several decades from the discovery of the first elastase, by Banga and Balo, in the 1950-ies to the pharmacological studies of the elastin receptor in the recent years.