These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed


  • Title: Hepatic inactivation of Leu-enkephalin.
    Author: MacKinnon KL, Zuzel KA, Billington D.
    Journal: Regul Pept; 1996 Dec 03; 67(2):85-92. PubMed ID: 8958578.
    Abstract:
    Leu-enkephalin radiolabelled at the N-terminal tyrosine by two different methods was presented to isolated perfused rat livers. Approximately 10% of a pulse of tritiated Leu-enkephalin was taken up first-pass; this was increased to 62% when the peptide was iodinated with Bolton and Hunter reagent. Uptake of both forms of radiolabelled Leu-enkephalin was inhibited by taurocholate in a concentration-dependent manner. The proportion of internalised radioactivity secreted into bile also differed but in both cases showed a very rapid time-course similar to that of [24-(14)C]taurocholate and suggestive of non-endocytic transfer via membrane transport proteins. Pre-perfusion with the aminopeptidase inhibitor bestatin increased uptake of 3H-labelled Leu-enkephalin from 10% to 23%; no further increase occurred when the endopeptidase 24.11 inhibitor thiorphan was also present. On infusion of the native peptide into rat livers, 80% of Leu-enkephalin immunoreactivity was lost between the pre- and post-hepatic perfusate; this was reduced to 65% in the presence of 10(-5) M bestatin. The almost total release of the N-terminal tyrosine from 3H-labelled Leu-enkephalin which escaped first-pass uptake confirmed that substantial sinusoidal metabolism had occurred. Low levels of aminopeptidase N were visualised in the sinusoidal membrane using a specific monoclonal antibody coupled to peroxidase staining. Thus, hepatic inactivation of Leu-enkephalin is primarily via hydrolysis mediated by cell surface peptidase (including aminopeptidases) whilst uptake of the intact peptide, probably by a bile salt transport protein, is quantitatively minor unless the N-terminus is blocked by Bolton and Hunter reagent or peptidase inhibitors are present.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]