phosphoramidon and 3-((3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonium)-1-propanesulfonate

We asked whether or not the endothelium plays a functional role in the conversion of big endothelin-1 to endothelin-1 in the perfused rat mesenteric artery. In endothelium-denuded preparations, big endothelin-1 produced a much more potent pressor effect than in intact preparations. Phosphoramidon suppressed the big endothelin-1-induced pressor action without affecting the action of endothelin-1, irrespective of the presence or absence of the endothelium. The amounts of immunoreactive-endothelin in the perfusate during perfusion of endothelium-denuded preparations with big endothelin-1 were extremely low compared with those observed in intact preparations and were not significantly suppressed by the metalloproteinase inhibitor, phosphoramidon, in contrast to the case with intact preparations. When synthetic endothelin-1 was perfused in the endothelium-denuded mesentery, the peptide disappeared from the perfusate more rapidly than with intact preparations, suggesting that endothelin-1 generated from big endothelin-1 is effectively trapped by vascular smooth muscle cells in the endothelium-denuded preparation. Our results suggest that the endothelium is not essential for the conversion of big endothelin-1 to endothelin-1, in rat mesenteric artery.

Topics: Animals; Blood Pressure; Carbachol; Cholic Acids; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Endothelin-1; Endothelins; Endothelium, Vascular; Glycopeptides; In Vitro Techniques; Male; Mesenteric Artery, Superior; Neprilysin; Norepinephrine; Perfusion; Protein Precursors; Radioimmunoassay; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

A neutral proteinase with endothelin (ET)-1 converting activity was identified in cytosol and membrane fractions prepared from rat lung, in a ratio of 1:4, respectively. The membrane-bound proteinase was solubilized by 0.5% 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl) dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate (CHAPS) with an increase in specific activity, and then was characterized. The solubilized proteinase was capable of converting big ET-1 to ET-1 with an optimum pH of 6.5, and the conversion was dose-dependently suppressed by phosphoramidon (IC50 = 0.5 microM). The molecular mass of the proteinase was estimated to be about 500 kDa by gel filtration in the presence of 0.5% CHAPS. These results indicate that rat lung contains a phosphoramidon-sensitive neutral proteinase catalyzing conversion of big ET-1 to ET-1. The proteinase may be involved in the biosynthetic pathway of ET-1 in the lung and/or the conversion of circulating big ET-1.

Topics: Animals; Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases; Cholic Acids; Endothelin-Converting Enzymes; Endothelins; Glycopeptides; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; In Vitro Techniques; Lung; Male; Membranes; Metalloendopeptidases; Molecular Weight; Rats; Solubility