Effect of bestatin and thiorphan on [Met5]enkephalin-Arg6-Phe7-induced analgesia

The Analgesic Activity of Bestatin as a Potent APN Inhibitor

Bestatin, a small molecular weight dipeptide, is a potent inhibitor of various aminopeptidases as well as LTA4 hydrolase. Various physiological functions of Bestatin have been identified, viz.: (1) an immunomodifier for enhancing the proliferation of normal human bone marrow granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells to form CFU-GM colonies; Bestatin exerts a direct stimulating effect on lymphocytes via its fixation on the cell surface and an indirect effect on monocytes via aminopeptidase B inhibition of tuftsin catabolism; (2) an immunorestorator and curative or preventive agent for spontaneous tumor; Bestatin alone or its combination with chemicals can prolongate the disease-free interval and survival period in adult acute or chronic leukemia, therefore, it was primarily marketed in 1987 in Japan as an anticancer drug and servers as the only marketed inhibitor of Aminopeptidase N (APN/CD13) to cure leukemia to date; (3) a pan-hematopoietic stimulator and restorator; Bestatin promotes granulocytopoiesis and thrombocytopoiesis in vitro and restores them in myelo-hypoplastic men; (4) an inhibitor of several natural opioid peptides. Based on the knowledge that APN can cleave several bioactive neuropeptides such as Met-enkaphalins, Leu-enkaphalins, beta-Endorphin, and so on, the anti-aminopeptidase action of Bestatin also allows it to protect endopeptides against their catabolism, exhibiting analgesic activity. Although many scientific studies and great accomplishments have been achieved in this field, a large amount of problems are unsolved. This article reviews the promising results obtained for future development of the analgesic activity of Bestatin that can be of vital interest in a number of severe and chronic pain syndromes.

Amastatin potentiates drinking elicited by osmotic stimuli: evidence for peptidergic mediation of intracellular dehydration-induced thirst

Aminopeptidase inhibitors have been demonstrated to enhance the behavioral effects of both exogenously applied and endogenously released neuropeptides. In this study peptidase inhibitors were used as probes for involvement of central neuropeptides in osmotically-induced drinking behavior. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injections of amastatin, an aminopeptidase A inhibitor, potentiated water intake induced by subcutaneous injections of hypertonic saline. Drinking responses to i.c.v. infusions of hypertonic saline were also enhanced when amastatin was added to the infusions. The effect was not attenuated by the angiotensin receptor antagonist, [Sar1, Thr8]angiotensin II, which suggests that angiotensins do not play a role in the over-drinking. Drinking responses to centrally infused hypertonic saline were not enhanced by i.c.v. thiorphan, an endopeptidase inhibitor; this provides evidence that the effects of amastatin are specific for a particular class of peptidases. These results suggest that there is a role for an endogenous, non-angiotensinergic brain peptide in the mediation of osmotic thirst.

Prolonged analgesia by enkephalinase inhibition in rats with spinal cord adrenal medullary transplants

Transplants of adrenal medullary tissue or isolated chromaffin cells into the spinal cord subarachnoid space has been shown to reduce pain sensitivity in rats. This analgesia probably results from the release of neuroactive substances, particularly opioid peptides, from the transplanted cells since it is induced by nicotinic stimulation of chromaffin cell receptors, and can be blocked by naloxone. However, this analgesia is short-lived, most likely due to the rapid hydrolysis of opioid peptides. The purpose of this study was to determine whether protection of opioid peptide hydrolysis by the potent enkephalinase inhibitor kelatorphan could prolong this analgesia. Results indicated that the intrathecal injection of kelatorphan in animals with either adrenal medullary or chromaffin cell implants significantly prolonged nicotine-stimulated analgesia. Pretreatment with naloxone completely eliminated this analgesia. These results suggest that it may be possible to induce long-term reductions in pain sensitivity using enkephalinase inhibitors following the transplantation of opioid peptide-producing cells into the CNS.

Influence of aminopeptidase inhibitors on brain angiotensin metabolism and drinking in rats

The metabolism of [125I]angiotensin II (AII, octopeptide) and [125I]angiotensin III (AIII, heptapeptide) was determined in the cerebroventricular compartment following intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) pretreatment with artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) or the aminopeptidase B inhibitor, bestatin (BE). Microwave fixation was used to stop brain aminopeptidase activity followed by high-performance liquid chromatography methods to measure degradation. The resulting mean t 1/2 values were: aCSF/AII = 23.5 s, BE/AII = 32.0 s; aCSF/AIII = 8.2 s, BE/AIII = 16.0 s. A second experiment indicated that i.c.v. administered BE induced considerable water consumption, while amastatin (AM, an aminopeptidase A inhibitor) did not. Combined i.c.v. treatment with BE/AII or BE/AIII produced water consumptions that were equivalent with the sum of the water intakes due to independent treatments. Unexpectedly, combined treatment with AM/AII also significantly facilitated water consumption as compared with the independent treatments. These results suggest that i.c.v. BE-induced drinking is due to the extension of the half-life of endogenous AIII, and that both AM and BE facilitate drinking to i.c.v. AII and AIII by inhibiting the degradation of AII and AIII. This delay in degradation prolongs the action of AIII at central angiotensin receptors while also slowing the conversion of AII to AIII, thus providing a depot of available AII to be converted to AIII in an obligatory manner.

Antinociceptive action of cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK 8) and related peptides in rats and mice: effects of naloxone and peptidase inhibitors

Cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK 8) produced significant antinociception in the tail immersion test in the rat, paw pressure test in the rat and acetylcholine-induced writhing test in the mouse after subcutaneous (s.c.) administration. In the hot plate test, CCK 8 (s.c.) showed antinociceptive activity if the latency to lick was used as the end point but if the latency to jump was recorded the antinociceptive effects were not evident. Cholecystokinin tetrapeptide (CCK 4) was shown to be antinociceptive in the writhing but not in the hot plate test after subcutaneous administration and appeared to be less potent than CCK 8 when tested under the same conditions. Antinociception induced by CCK 8 in the hot plate test (lick) could also be demonstrated after direct intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection and this observation was also made with the CCK-related peptide FMRF amide. Antinociception induced by CCK 8 (which did not appear to be associated with reduced locomotor activity) was evident 5 min after intraventricular injection and was maximal at 10 min, the effect lasting over a 30-45 min period. The antinociceptive effect of CCK 8 was antagonised by naloxone and was potentiated by simultaneous administration of the peptidase inhibitors bestatin, thiorphan and captopril.

Effect of peptidase inhibitors on [Met5]enkephalin-Arg6-Phe7 and [Met5]enkephalin-Arg6-Gly7-Leu8-induced antinociception

The effect of the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor 2-[N-[(S)-1-carboxy-3-phenylpropyl]-L-alanyl]-(1S,3S,5S)-2- -azabicyclo(3.3.0)octane-3-carboxylic acid (Hoe 498 diacid) and the aminopeptidase inhibitor bestatin on antinociception induced in rats by intraventricular injections of [Met5]enkephalin-Arg6-Phe7 and [Met5]enkephalin-Arg6-Gly7-Leu8 was investigated. Potentiation and prolongation of the antinociception was observed after pretreatment with bestatin. Further potentiation of the antinociception elicited by the heptapeptide was obtained in rats pretreated with a combination of bestatin and Hoe 498 diacid. In contrast, antinociception elicited by the octapeptide was not potentiated further by pretreatment with the bestatin and Hoe 498 diacid combination.

Involvement of monoaminergic and peptidergic components in cathinone-induced analgesia

Evidence has been obtained suggesting that cathinone-induced analgesia depends upon stimulation of alpha-adrenoceptors, followed by release of opioid peptides and by activation of serotonergic pathways. This hypothesis is supported by the following. (1) Cathinone potentiated morphine analgesia and the whole effect was antagonized by naloxone whereas onto the cathinone potentiation was counteracted by phenoxybenzamine. (2) Bestatin potentiated cathinone-induced analgesia and this effect was sensitive to both naloxone and phenoxybenzamine blockade. (3) The analgesic effect of cathinone + bestatin was further potentiated by the serotonin uptake inhibitor citalopram.