enkephalin--leucine-2-alanine and Heart-Failure

Three series of experiments were performed in Wistar male rats. The first series covered the study of the function of isolated perfused hearts and the status of the gastric mucosa in intact animals. In series II and III, Stages IIIB-IV contact burn of 25% body surface was induced by a special device. The animals were observed for 24 hours. Following 23.5 hours of burn, the rats were injected placebo (Series II) or the synthetic Leu-enkephalin analogue dalargin, 10 micrograms/kg in the same amounts as placebo (Series III). After observation, the animals' hearts and stomachs were isolated and explored. In Series II, there was a considerable decrease in all the indices of cardiac function as compared to the controls, the ulcer index that characterizes the severity of stress-induced gastric mucosa injury was found to be 8.2. In Series III, the indices of cardiac function were even substantially higher than those in intact animals, the ulcer index was reduced to 0.01. Thus, dalargin, a Soviet synthetic Leu-enkephalin analogue, possesses marked anti-stress and cardioprotective effects in severe thermal trauma. The paper also considers the likely mechanisms responsible for the phenomena observed.

Topics: Animals; Burns; Disease Models, Animal; Enkephalin, Leucine; Enkephalin, Leucine-2-Alanine; Gastric Mucosa; Heart; Heart Failure; In Vitro Techniques; Male; Models, Cardiovascular; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Stomach Ulcer; Stress, Physiological