dermorphin and amastatin

The antinociceptive effects produced by the intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of dermorphin and [D-Arg2]dermorphin were compared in conscious mice, using the combined administration of peptidase inhibitors. Nociception was assessed using a tail pressure assay. Dermorphin-induced antinociception was not potentiated by simultaneous administration of amastatin or captopril as judged from the ED50 values. Co-administration of dermorphin and amastatin gave a longer duration than with dermorphin alone, whereas there was no significant effect on duration with captopril. The antinociceptive activity of dermorphin was significantly enhanced when the heptapeptide was injected simultaneously with both peptidase inhibitors. This result indicates that the heptapeptide sequence is required for the full expression of intrinsic opioid activity of dermorphin. In contrast, co-administration of amastatin brought about a significant enhancement of the antinociceptive activity induced by i.c.v. administration of [D-Arg2]dermorphin, whereas the effect of [D-Arg2]dermorphin was markedly decreased by the concurrent administration of captopril or thiorphan. The potency of captopril was much greater than that of thiorphan. The present results suggest that [D-Arg2]dermorphin may be transformed metabolically to a peptide which has potent antinociceptive activity.

Topics: Analgesics, Opioid; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Captopril; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred Strains; Oligopeptides; Opioid Peptides; Pain Measurement; Peptides; Thiorphan

We have investigated the effect of amastatin, an aminopeptidase inhibitor, and captopril, an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, on the antinociceptive activity induced by intracerebroventricular administration of dermorphin, a heptapeptide. In addition, the potency of dermorphin was compared with that of one of its metabolites, N-terminal tetrapeptide (Tyr-D-Ala-Phe-Gly), by using the tail pressure test. The antinociceptive activity induced by dermorphin was not potentiated by simultaneous administration of amastatin or captopril. However, there was potentiation when dermorphin was combined with both peptidase inhibitors. Moreover, the N-terminal tetrapeptide was 84 times less potent than its parent heptapeptide when administered intracerebroventricularly. The results suggest that the cleavage of Tyr1-D-Ala2 and Gly4-Tyr5 bonds by brain endopeptidase modulates dermorphin-induced antinociceptive activity.

Topics: Analgesics; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Captopril; Drug Synergism; Injections, Intraventricular; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred Strains; Oligopeptides; Opioid Peptides; Peptides; Protease Inhibitors

Degradation of dermorphin, [D-Arg2]dermorphin and [D-Arg2, Gly3, Phe4]dermorphin in a soluble rat brain extract was examined. The former two heptapeptides were degraded in a similar fashion to produce corresponding N-terminal tetrapeptide as the main degradation product along with the parallel release of Tyr5, Pro6 and Ser7-NH2. Tyr-D-Arg-Phe-Gly showed a good enzymatic stability. When captopril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, was present in the incubation mixture, hydrolysis of the Gly4-Tyr5 bond was markedly suppressed and resulted in release of the corresponding N-terminal hexapeptide as the main degradation product. Combined use of captopril and amastatin, an aminopeptidase inhibitor, markedly suppressed the hydrolysis of these peptides. On the other hand, [D-Arg2, Gly3, Phe4]dermorphin was hydrolyzed easier than the other two heptapeptides and considerable amounts of Tyr1 and Phe4 were released after 20 hr incubation while the N-terminal tetrapeptide, Tyr-D-Arg-Gly-Phe, showed a good enzymatic stability. On the basis of these results, possible degradation pathways of these heptapeptides were discussed.

Topics: Amino Acids; Analgesics, Opioid; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Brain; Captopril; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Cytosol; Kinetics; Oligopeptides; Opioid Peptides; Peptides; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Structure-Activity Relationship