Lipotropin, Melanotropin and Endorphin: in Vivo Catabolism and Entry Into Cerebrospinal Fluid
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LE JOURNAL CANAD1EN DES SCIENCES NEUROLOGIQUES Lipotropin, Melanotropin and Endorphin: In Vivo Catabolism and Entry into Cerebrospinal Fluid P. D. PEZALLA, M. LIS, N. G. SEIDAH AND M. CHRETIEN SUMMARY: Anesthetized rabbits were INTRODUCTION (Rudman et al., 1974). These findings given intravenous injections of either Beta-lipotropin (beta-LPH) is a suggest, albeit weakly, that the pep beta-lipotropin (beta-LPH), beta- peptide of 91 amino acids that was tide might cross the blood-brain bar melanotropin (beta-MSH) or beta- first isolated from ovine pituitary rier. In the case of beta-endorphin, endorphin. The postinjection concentra glands (Li et al., 1965). Although there are physiological studies both tions of these peptides in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were measured beta-LPH has a number of physiologi supporting and negating the possibil by radioimmunoassay (RIA). The plasma cal actions including the stimulation ity that beta-endorphin crosses the disappearance half-times were 13.7 min of lipolysis and melanophore disper blood-brain barrier. The study of for beta-LPH, 5.1 min for beta-MSH, and sion, it is believed to function princi Tseng et al. (1976) supports this pos 4.8 min for beta-endorphin. Circulating pally as a prohormone for beta- sibility since they observed analgesia beta-LPH is cleaved to peptides tenta melanotropin (beta-MSH) and beta- in mice following intravenous injec tively identified as gamma-LPH and endorphin. Beta-MSH, which com tion of beta-endorphin. However, beta-endorphin. Each of these peptides prises the sequence 41-58 of beta- Pert et al. (1976) were unable to elicit appeared in the CSF within 2 min postin LPH, is considerably more potent central effects in rats by intravenous jection. The maximum CSF to plasma than beta-LPH in either lipolytic or injection of the smaller, proteolytic ratios were 0.08 for beta-LPH, 1.48 for enzyme resistant analogue beta-MSH, and 0.23 for beta-endorphin. melanophore stimulating assays (Chretien, 1973). In addition, the ac (D-Ala2)-Met-enkepa!inamide and RESUME: Les lupins anesthesies tive heptapeptide core of beta-MSH surmised that it did not cross the recurent des injections intraveineuses, exhibits both behavioral and elec- blood-brain barrier. soil de beta-lipotropine (beta-LPH), de troencephalographic actions in the The goals of this study were (a) to beta-melanotropine (beta-MSH) ou de rat and man (Kastin et al., 1976c). determine if beta-LPH, beta-MSH beta-endorphine. Les concentrations de The second peptide for which beta- and beta-endorphin could cross the ces peptides dans le plasma et le liquide LPH is believed to be the prohor blood-brain barrier of the rabbit, (b) cephalorachidien (LCR) a la suite de ces mone is beta-endorphin. This injections furent mesurees par des essais to estimate their half-lives in the radioimmunologiques (RIA). Les demi- peptide corresponds to the sequence circulation and (c) to determine if the temps plasmatiques de disparition furent 61-91 of beta-LPH and, like beta- prohormone, beta-LPH, is cleaved in de 13.7 min pour la beta-LPH, 5.1 min MSH, has both central and vivo to one or both of its constituent pour la beta-MSH, et 4.8 min pour la peripheral actions. Beta-endorphin is hormones. beta-endorphine. La beta-LPH cir- produced in the pars intermedia culante est degrade e et les produite de (LaBella et al., 1976; Queen et al, MATERIALS AND METHODS degradation initials sont tentativement 1976; LaBella et al., 1977; Crine et Animals: Male New Zealand white identifies comme etant le al., 1977) and is well known for rabbits (2-3 kg) were anesthetized by beta-endorphine et la gamma-LPH. Chacun de ces peptides apparait dans le its potent opiate-like actions on the intraperitoneal injection of 5-7 g of LCR dans les 2 minutes qui suivent central nervous system and on peri urethane in 10-14 ml of 0.9% NaCI. I'injection. Le rapport maximum de con pheral neuromuscular transmission After anesthesia had been induced, centration dans le LCR par rapport aux (reviewed by Goldstein, 1976; Gold blood and CSF samples were taken les taux plasmatiques etait de 0.08 pour la stein and Cox, 1977; Scherrer et al., simultaneously. Blood (0.5-1 ml) was beta-LPH, 1.48 pour la beta-MSH et 0.23 1977). allowed to drop from a small cut in a pour la beta-endorphine. An important question that has not marginal ear vein into a tube contain been directly addressed is whether ing EDTA. The blood was im beta-MSH and beta-endorphin can mediately cooled on ice, centrifuged cross the blood-brain barrier to reach and the plasma stored at —20°C. CSF their putative site of action, the cen (0.1-0.2 ml) was taken from the cis- From the Clinical Research Institute of Montreal, tral nervous system. Beta-MSH has terna magna with a 23-gauge 3*/2 inch Affiliated to the Universite de Montreal and the Hotel-Dieu de Montreal. been found in CSF (Smith and Shus- spinal needle inserted percutane- ter, 1976) and peripherally adminis ously. The needle was equipped with Reprint requests to: Dr. P. D. Pezalla, Clinical Research Institute of Montreal, 110 avenue des Pins tered beta-MSH can increase pro an occluding stylet that was kept in ouest, Montreal, Quebec H2W IR7, Canada. tein synthesis in certain brain regions place between samplings. The CSF Vol. 5, No. 2 MAY 1978 - 183 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.33.22, on 29 Sep 2021 at 21:36:32, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0317167100024537 THE CANADIAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGICAL SCIENCES was frozen in a dry ice-ethanol bath previously described (Chretien et al., as tracer and standard. Under these immediately after withdrawal. CSF 1976; Li et al., 1965; Pezaila et al., in conditions, beta-LPH and gamma- samples were judged to be free of press). The peptides for injection as LPH cross react 46% and 79% while contamination by blood if they were well as for RIA iodination and stan beta-MSH does not cross react. The clear and colorless. Injections of the dardization were purified to anti-beta-endorphin serum cross test substances were made 15 min homogeneity as determined by elec reacts 58% with beat-LPH and not after the first sample was taken. trophoresis and amino acid analysis. at all with gamma-LPH or beta- Twenty nmoles of either beta-LPH, RIA: The details of our procedure MSH. More complete characteriza beta-MSH or beta-endorphin in 0.5 for RIA have been described (Pezaila tions of the antisera can be found ml of 0.9% NaCl were injected into et al., In Press). Antisera against in Guillemin et al (1977) and the marginal vein of the ear not used beta-MSH and beta-LPH were raised Pezaila et al (in press). for blood sampling. The injections in this laboratory. Antiserum against Chromatography: Gel filtration took about 1 min. Four rabbits re beta-endorphin was generously sup chromatography was done at 4°C on 1 ceived each peptide and an additional plied by Dr. Roger Guillemin. The x 42 cm columns of Sephadex G-50 four received saline alone. Each rab anti-beta-MSH serum cross reacts superfine (Pharmacia). The columns bit was used only once. with both beta- and gamma-LPH were equilibrated and eluted with pH Peptides: Ovine beta-LPH, (47% and 31% respectively on a 7.6 phosphate buffered saline con beta-LPH 1-47 and beta-endorphin and molar basis). The anti-beta-LPH taining 25 mM EDTA and 1% (w/v) porcine beta-MSH were purified as serum was used with beta-LPH 1-47 bovine serum albumin (Pezaila et al., in press). One ml fractions were col lected and stored frozen. The col umns were calibrated with 125I-labelled beta-LPH, beta-MSH and beta-endorphin. RESULTS Concentrations of immunoreactive beta-endorphin in the preinjection samples of plasma and CSF were near or below the limits of detectabil- ity. For those animals which had measurable beta-endorphin in both CSF and plasma, the concentration ratios were between 0.43 and 2.70. No 0 15 30 TIME (mfti) apparent correlation between the levels in the two fluids was seen, Figure I—The fate of exogenous beta-endorphin in vivo. a. Disappearance rate of possibly because of the error in plasma beta-endorphin. The dashed line is the least squares regression from which a measuring such low concentrations. half-life of 4.8 min was calculated, b. Concentration of beta-endorphin in CSF after intravenous injection of beta-endorphin or beta-MSH. c. CSF to plasma ratios of The mean half-time of disappearance beta-endorphin. Data expresses as mean ± standard error of the mean. from the plasma was 4.8 min (Fig. la). t> Beta-endorphin appears in the 100 10 - CSF within 2 min after injection. The 50 5 . concentration (0.5 nM) is nearly ten 0-MSH wjEcrto times the preinjection level. The z 2 c 1 concentration is maximal and does I / L_ J not change significantly between 15 ^ T T 05 - and 45 min (Fig. lb). The stability of beta-endorphin in CSF as opposed to plasma is responsible for the con 0.1 \[ tinued rise in the CSF to plasma 0.5 0.05 SdllNE concentration ratio. The maximum INJECTED ratio (0.23 ± 0.06) was seen at 45 min NO NO (Fig. lc). Beta-endorphin in the CSF ' 1 0 15 30 30 45 of control (beta-MSH injected) rab TIME (min) bits remained low or undetectable Figure 2—The fate of exogenous beta-MSH in vivo.