Neurotensin-like immunoreactivity released into the portal vein by duodenal acidification in the dog

Pharmacokinetics and biological activity of kinetensin in conscious sheep

Kinetensin is a nonapeptide, originally isolated from pepsin-treated plasma, that shares some sequence homology with the C-terminal end of neurotensin. The present study was designed to determine, by infusing kinetensin to conscious sheep, the pharmacokinetics and a neurotensin-like biological activity (pancreatic polypeptide response) of kinetensin. Kinetensin was rapidly metabolized, approximately 200-fold more rapidly than neurotensin. The majority of the metabolism occurred in the circulation as demonstrated both in vivo and in vitro. The lung and gut cleared kinetensin also. Inhibition of converting enzyme, present in highest concentration in the lung, abolished lung clearance but was without effect on kinetensin metabolism by the gut or in the general circulation. Arterial infusion of kinetensin which achieved high blood kinetensin levels at the pancreas did not increase plasma pancreatic polypeptide. We conclude that the extremely rapid degradation of exogenous kinetensin, together with the lack of biological activity, makes it unlikely that kinetensin plays a role as a circulating regulatory peptide. Nevertheless, since the putative kinetensin substrate circulates at microM concentrations, it is feasible that kinetensin is generated and metabolized at the target organ.

Action of neurotensin on meal-stimulated gastric acid secretion in the dog

In six to nine mongrel dogs the effect of graded doses of intravenous neurotensin (188, 375, 750, and 1500 pmol/kg h) on acid secretion basally or stimulated by distention (by isotonic glucose), peptone (0.5, 1, and 4 g%), and pentagastrin was studied. Neurotensin did not affect acid secretion basally, stimulated by distention, or the maximal peptone dose. However, when submaximal doses (0.5 and 1 g%) of peptone were instilled in the stomach, neurotensin stimulated the secretory response to intragastric peptone. This effect was observed in doses of intravenous neurotensin which mimicked circulating neurotensin concentrations after a standard test meal. Thus, neurotensin could be considered a physiologic stimulant of acid secretion when protein is present in the stomach. The mechanism for this action of neurotensin is unknown but could be partly explained by an enhanced release of gastrin. The potentiating effect of neurotensin on peptone-stimulated acid secretion could play a major role in gastric secretory function of the dog.

Secretion of neurotensin from isolated perfused porcine ileum

The secretion and molecular nature of immunoreactive neurotensin (NT) was studied following stimulation of an isolated perfused porcine ileal segment with glucose, triglyceride and intra-arterial infusion of gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP). Secreted peptides were separated using gel chromatography and analyzed with 3 sequence-specific radioimmunoassays towards NT. Glucose (5%) and GRP both stimulated NT secretion from the ileal segment whereas pure triglyceride did not. Maximal secretion of NT during glucose perfusion was 0.448 nmol/min and 6.9 nmol/min during GRP infusion (medians, n = 5). GRP infused in doses from 10(-10) to 10(-8) M stimulated NT release in a dose-related manner. Following gel chromatography only the intact peptide and no smaller or larger molecular size immunoreactive components were observed. The study showed that both luminal and humoral stimuli release NT from the isolated pig ileum. Apparently no fragments or other NT-related immunoreactive components were cosecreted with the peptide.

Somatostatin may not be a hormonal messenger of fat-induced inhibition of gastric functions

The present study was designed to evaluate somatostatin as a hormonal inhibitor of gastric functions in humans. Seven healthy volunteers were investigated on 6 separate days. Peptone meal-stimulated gastric acid secretion was measured by intragastric titration for 2 h and gastric emptying was estimated with a dye-dilution technique. The effect of intravenous administration of somatostatin at 0, 12.5, 50, 100, and 200 pmol/kg.h was investigated and related to the effect of intragastric administration of 100 ml of vegetable oil. Plasma somatostatinlike immunoreactivity was elevated during intravenous administration of somatostatin at 100 and 200 pmol/kg.h, whereas no increase was detected in response to the oil. Somatostatin infusion at 100 and 200 pmol/kg.h significantly inhibited the acid secretion by 25% and 65%, and the oil reduced the acid output by 41%. Somatostatin at 100 and 200 pmol/kg.h significantly enhanced gastric emptying, whereas the oil inhibited gastric emptying. These observations suggest that somatostatin may not be an important hormonal messenger of fat-induced inhibition of acid secretion or gastric emptying.

Regulation of gastric acid secretion by neurotensin in man. Evidence against a hormonal role

The present study was designed to evaluate neurotensin as a hormonal regulator of gastric acid secretion in man. After a fat-rich meal, the strongest known stimulus of neurotensin release, plasma neurotensin-like immunoreactivity (NTLI) was elevated from 7.6 +/- 1.9 to 15.5 +/- 2.5 pM. Plasma NTLI was measured with antiserum L170, which requires the biologically active carboxyl-terminal hexapeptide of the neurotensin molecule for recognition and does not crossreact significantly with any known natural catabolite in human plasma. Intravenous infusion of neurotensin at 25 pmol X kg-1 h-1 resulted in a plasma level of 14.7 +/- 2.1 pM, similar to the maximal physiological level observed after the fat-rich meal. Intravenous infusion of neurotensin at 25 pmol X kg-1 h-1 during 2 h, however, failed to significantly inhibit peptone meal-stimulated gastric acid secretion measured by intragastric titration. The 2-h acid output to peptone was 40.8 +/- 6.2 and 41.3 +/- 6.9 mmol during the vehicle and the neurotensin infusion, respectively. Intravenous infusion of neurotensin at 100 or 400 pmol X kg-1 h-1 did not affect acid output, whereas at 1,600 pmol X kg-1 h-1, which resulted in a plasma neurotensin concentration of 725 +/- 80 pM, significantly reduced peptone meal-stimulated gastric acid secretion. The neurotensin-induced inhibition of acid output was independent of the hormone gastrin. The present results provide evidence against a hormonal role for neurotensin in the regulation of meal-stimulated gastric acid secretion in man.

Neurotensin-like immunoreactivity generated by pepsin from human plasma and gastric tissue

The present study demonstrates precursors of neurotensin-like immunoreactivity (NTLI) endogenous to human gastric tissue and plasma, and the existence of a gastric NTLI-generating enzyme system. The molecular size of the NTLI-precursors in plasma and gastric tissue were estimated by gel permeation chromatography to be ca 50,000-60,000 and 60,000-70,000 Da, respectively. The neurotensin-like peptide generated from the precursor was detected with a carboxyl-terminally directed antiserum but did not cross-react with an amino-terminally directed antiserum. A neurotensin-like peptide isolated from pepsin-treated human plasma was characterized by mass spectrometry and its amino acid sequence determined. This novel nonapeptide, referred to as kinetensin, failed to affect pentagastrin-stimulated acid secretion or blood pressure in the rat. Sequence homologies between neurotensin, kinetensin and proteins of the serum albumin family suggest a common evolutionary origin and raise questions regarding albumin-like proteins as precursors of regulatory peptides.

Catabolism of neurotensin in the epithelial layer of porcine small intestine

The mammalian small intestine is both a source and a site of degradation of neurotensin. Metabolites produced by incubation of the peptide with dispersed enterocytes from porcine small intestine were isolated by high-performance liquid chromatography and identified by amino-acid analysis. The principal sites of cleavage were at the Tyr-11-Ile-12 bond, generating neurotensin-(1-11), and at the Pro-10-Tyr-11 bond, generating neurotensin-(1-10). The corresponding COOH-terminal fragments, neurotensin-(11-13) and -(12-13) were metabolized further. Formation of neurotensin-(1-11) and -(1-10) was completely inhibited by phosphoramidon (Ki = 6 nM), an inhibitor of endopeptidase 24.11, but not by captopril, an inhibitor of peptidyl dipeptidase A. Incubation of neurotensin with purified endopeptidase 24.11 from pig stomach also resulted in cleavage of the Tyr-11-Ile-12 and Pro-10-Tyr-11 bonds. A minor pathway of cell-surface-mediated degradation was the phosphoramidon-insensitive cleavage of the Tyr-3-Glu-4 bond, generating neurotensin-(1-3) and neurotensin-(4-13). No evidence for specific binding sites (putative receptors) for neurotensin was found either on the intact enterocyte or on vesicles prepared from the basolateral membranes of the cells. Neurotensin-(1-8), the major circulating metabolite, was not formed when neurotensin(1-13) was incubated with cells, but represented a major metabolite (together with neurotensin-(1-10] when neurotensin-(1-11) was used as substrate. The study has shown that degradation of neurotensin in the epithelial layer of the small intestine is mediated principally through the action of endopeptidase 24.11, but this enzyme is probably not responsible for the production of the neurotensin fragments detected in the circulation.

Effect of synthetic neuromedin-N, a novel neurotensin-like peptide, on exocrine pancreatic secretion and splanchnic blood flow in dogs

Neuromedin-N, a novel neurotensin-like peptide, has recently been identified from porcine spinal cord by using a bioassay for a stimulatory effect on guinea pig ileum. The amino acid sequence of the peptide has been determined to be Lys-Ile-Pro-Tyr-Ile-Leu, which is quite homologous to the COOH-terminal sequence of neurotensin. In this study, the effect of neuromedin-N on pancreas and splanchnic blood flow was investigated in eight dogs. Intravenous injections of graded doses of synthetic neuromedin-N caused a dose-dependent decrease of systemic arterial pressure and a dose-dependent increase in both portal and superior mesenteric arterial blood flow, which were measured with transit time ultrasonic flow meter. Volume and protein output of the pancreatic juice were also increased significantly by Neuromedin-N. Pancreatic capillary blood flow measured with laser Doppler flowmetry was increased in a dose-related manner. The present study first demonstrated that neuromedin-N retains a potent stimulatory effect on the pancreas and splanchnic circulation, indicating that this peptide is one of the biological active forms of neurotensin-like peptide in mammals. This study also leads to the suggestion that this peptide possesses physiological significance as a novel neuropeptide.

Effect of neurotensin on the smooth muscle of the chicken crop

1. The effect of neurotensin was studied in the isolated smooth muscle of the chicken crop. 2. This peptide induced concentration-dependent (10(-10)-10(-8) mol/l) contractions of muscle strips. 3. The response to neurotensin was not modified after incubation of the preparation with atropine, indomethacin, naloxone and tetrodotoxin. The neurotensin-exerted contractions are therefore probably myogenic. 4. These properties of neurotensin indicate a possible role for this peptide in the control of crop motility.

Isolation and characterization of a neurotensin-like decapeptide from a canine upper small intestinal extract

Neurotensin-like immunoreactivity can be detected in extracts of canine upper gastrointestinal mucosa when measured by carboxyl terminal but not by amino terminal antibodies to neurotensin. The nature of this immunoreactive material was characterized by complete purification on gel filtration and HPLC followed by peptide microsequence analysis. The structure obtained was Glu-Asn-Lys-Pro-Arg-Arg-Pro-Tyr-Ile-(Leu), identical in structure to the carboxyl terminal decapeptide of neurotensin. It cannot, however, be excluded that this neurotensin decapeptide was generated from a larger neurotensin-like peptide during the extraction procedure by a physiological or artificial enzymatic process. Since carboxyl terminal neurotensin fragments containing eight or more residues have full biological activity, this peptide may be responsible for neurotensin-like biological activities within the mucosa of, or after release from, the upper gut.