家兔侧脑室注射P物质和毒扁豆碱对心血管控制的影响及其相互关系

采用电磁血流量计测量家兔主动脉血流量(心输出量)的方法,观察47只麻醉家兔侧脑室注射(icv.)SP和毒扁豆碱对心输出量、血压和心率的影响及其相互关系。结果如下:(1)icv.SP(20μg)或毒扁豆碱(60μg),均产生明显的心输出量和血压增高,不改变心率。(2)SP的效应不能被icv.阿托品(150μg)所阻断。(3)毒扁豆碱的效应可被预先icv.SP拮抗剂(25μg)阻断。结果提示,脑内SP参与了胆碱能机制对血压的调节,ACh通过脑内SP起作用。     

P物质的分子神经生物学研究进展

Ｐ物质的分子神经生物学得到了较广泛的研究,其中包括Ｐ物质的生物合成与调节、活性构象、释放与灭活、对膜通道的影响以及Ｐ物质受体的分子生物学等。另外,还涉及到了Ｐ物质Ｎ端片段的功能及结全位点。这些工作为从分子水平上进上步阐明Ｐ物质在神经系统中纷繁而重要的生理功能奠定了基础。     

活性肽P物质应用性研究

SP具有多种生理功能和作用,许多基础性的理论研究在国际上己进行了深入的研究,但是,SP在应用领域的报道是较少的。本文首先介绍了SP在医药方面的应用,旨在使SP变成一个生化药物即SP软膏(商品名为脑素软膏)。其次,在我们研究SP药用性质的同时,已注意到SP在化妆品方面的应用,如研究出SP高级营养霜;SP止痒宁露水;SP斑秃霜。第三,SP(猪脑)生化试剂的研究和制备,经由坂口试剂(精氨酸特征试剂)测定,可获得SP含量为30%或60%。     

P物质的免疫调节作用

P物质在外周主要分布于了发出细传入的神经元内。在外周神经末梢释放的P物质参与免疫调节和炎症过程。P物质可以影响淋巴细胞的增殖、免疫球蛋白和细胞因子的合成,并能够调节辅佐细胞的活性和细胞因子的合成以及其他一些免疫细胞的活性。P物质通过以上作用参与调节细胞和体液免疫应答。在外周组织中,P物质能的神经纤维和一些免疫细胞联系密切,许多免疫细胞膜上存在有P物质的特异性受体。这些形态学资料为P物质参与免疫调节提供了证据。一些免疫细胞也能够产生P物质,并以自分泌或／和旁分泌的方式调节免疫细胞的功能。以上资料表明P物质不仅是一种神经肽,也是一种免疫调节因子,是神经系统和免疫系统共同的信使物质。     

促黄体生成激素释放激素类似物的研究进展

促黄体生成激素释放激素(LHRH)激动剂药物已商品化,用于治疗性激素依赖的癌症,LHRH拮抗剂的研究还处于试验阶段.近几年,在寻找高活性,低组胺释放,水溶性好,稳定性高的拮抗剂研究方面,已取得明显进展.一些较小的环肽及肽模拟物也表现出较好的生物活性.在十肽拮抗剂分子内,中间四肽的βⅡ-turn及N端的三肽对活性影响很大.     

抗 P 物质单克隆抗体的特性研究

观察了细胞株(BTP-1)所分泌的抗 P 物质单克隆抗体与17种 P 物质类似物的交叉反应。该单克隆抗体所针对的是 P 物质的羧基末端,与羧基端的甲硫氨酸残基有较大的关系,而和P 物质类似物的拮抗作用的强弱无相关性。与9种小肽(亮氨酸脑啡肽、甲硫氨酸脑啡肽,内啡肽、皮啡肽、血管紧张素Ⅰ、Ⅱ、缓激肽,催产素、胰高血糖素)均无交叉反应,显示该单克隆抗体有较好的特异性。经免疫组织化学试验,中脑以下部位的脊髓后角Ⅱ层、黑质、三叉神经脊束核、脚间核等末梢纤维和第Ⅱ脑室腹侧灰质、被盖外侧核、中缝核等胞体核周质染成棕色。BTP-1属于大鼠 IgG 型单克隆抗体。描述了微载体大量培养杂交瘤和制备单克隆抗体的技术,并讨论了大量制备的可能性。     

P物质对蟾蜍离体心脏活动的影响

P物质(substance P,SP)既是一个局部作用激素、又是一个循环激素,在体内可对许多器官发挥作用,对心血管活动的调节具有重要影响,在这方面以对血管活动的影响研究较多,对心脏活动的影响报道较少,对其作用机制尚不十分清楚。本工作试图在蟾蜍离体心脏标本上观察SP对心脏活动的直接效应,并初步探讨其作用机制。     

Role of agonist and antagonist muscle strength in performance of rapid movements

Six subjects performed rapid self-terminated elbow movements under different mechanical conditions prior to, and 5 weeks after an elbow extensor strengthening programme. Despite the large difference in the strengths of elbow flexors and extensors, the pretest did not demonstrate significant differences between the movement time of flexion and extension movements performed under the same mechanical conditions. The results obtained in the posttest demonstrated a decrease in movement time (i.e. an increase in movement speed) in both elbow flexion and extension movements under some mechanical conditions. In addition, flexion movements demonstrated a relative increase in the acceleration time (acceleration time as a proportion of the movement time). It was concluded that the strength of both the agonist and antagonist muscles was important for the performance of rapid movements. Stronger agonists could increase the acceleration of the limb being moved, while stronger antagonists could facilitate the arrest of the limb movement in a shorter time, providing a longer time for acceleration.     

Mutagenesis of a Single Amino Acid in the Rat μ-Opioid Receptor Discriminates Ligand Binding

Abstract: To investigate the role of Asp¹¹⁴ in the cloned rat μ-opioid receptor for ligand binding, the charged amino acid was mutated to an asparagine to generate the mutant μ receptor D114N. The wild-type μ receptor and the D114N mutant were then stably expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells, and the binding affinities of a series of opioids were investigated. The μ-selective agonists [ d -Ala²,MePhe⁴,Gly-ol⁵]enkephalin and morphine and the endogenous peptides Met-enkephalin and β-endorphin exhibited greatly reduced affinities for the D114N mutant compared with the wild-type μ receptor, as did the potent synthetic agonist etorphine. In contrast to the full agonists, the partial agonists buprenorphine and nalorphine and the antagonists diprenorphine and naloxone bound with similar affinities to the wild-type and D114N mutant μ receptors. The reduced affinities of the full agonists for the D114N mutant did not involve an uncoupling of the receptor from G proteins because methadone and etorphine stimulated the D114N μ receptors to inhibit adenylyl cyclase. Although the Asp¹¹⁴ to Asn¹¹⁴ mutation reduced full-agonist binding, mutation of His²⁹⁷ to Asn²⁹⁷ in the μ receptor did not but, in contrast, did reduce binding affinity of the partial agonist buprenorphine and the antagonist diprenorphine. These results indicate that some partial agonists and antagonists may have different determinants for binding to the μ receptor than do the prototypical full agonists.     

Active Uptake of Substance P Carboxy-Terminal Heptapeptide (5–11) into Rat Brain and Rabbit Spinal Cord Slices

We previously reported that nerve terminals and glial cells lack an active uptake system capable of terminating transmitter action of substance P (SP). In the present study, we demonstrated the existence of an active uptake system for SP carboxy-terminal heptapeptide, (5-11)SP. When the slices from either rat brain or rabbit spinal cord were incubated with [3H](5-11)SP, the uptake of (5-11)SP into slices was observed. The uptake system has the properties of an active transport mechanism: it is dependent on temperature and sensitive to hypoosmotic treatment and is inhibited by ouabain and dinitrophenol (DNP). In the brain, (5-11)SP was accumulated by means of a high-affinity and a low-affinity uptake system. The Km and the Vmax values for the high-affinity system were 4.20 x 10(-8) M and 7.59 fmol/10 mg wet weight/min, respectively, whereas these values for the low-affinity system were 1.00 x 10(-6) M and 100 fmol/10 mg wet weight/min, respectively. In the spinal cord, there was only one uptake system, with a Km value of 2.16 x 10(-7) M and Vmax value of 26.2 fmol/10 mg wet weight/min. These results suggest that when SP is released from nerve terminals, it is hydrolysed into (5-11)SP before or after acting as a neurotransmitter, which is in turn accumulated into nerve terminals. Therefore, the uptake system may represent a possible mechanism for the inactivation of SP.     

G protein-coupled adenosine (P1) and P2Y receptors: ligand design and receptor interactions

The medicinal chemistry and pharmacology of the four subtypes of adenosine receptors (ARs) and the eight subtypes of P2Y receptors (P2YRs, activated by a range of purine and pyrimidine mono- and dinucleotides) has recently advanced significantly leading to selective ligands. X-ray crystallographic structures of both agonist- and antagonist-bound forms of the A(2A)AR have provided unprecedented three-dimensional detail concerning molecular recognition in the binding site and the conformational changes in receptor activation. It is apparent that this ubiquitous cell signaling system has implications for understanding and treating many diseases. ATP and other nucleotides are readily released from intracellular sources under conditions of injury and organ stress, such as hypoxia, ischemia, or mechanical stress, and through channels and vesicular release. Adenosine may be generated extracellularly or by cellular release. Therefore, depending on pathophysiological factors, in a given tissue, there is often a tonic activation of one or more of the ARs or P2YRs that can be modulated by exogenous agents for a beneficial effect. Thus, this field has provided fertile ground for pharmaceutical development, leading to clinical trials of selective receptor ligands as imaging agents or for conditions including cardiac arrhythmias, ischemia/reperfusion injury, diabetes, pain, thrombosis, Parkinson's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, dry eye disease, pulmonary diseases such as cystic fibrosis, glaucoma, cancer, chronic hepatitis C, and other diseases.     

Degradation of Rat Brain Cholinergic Muscarinic Receptors In Vitro: Enhancement by Agonists and Inhibition by Antagonists

Cholinergic muscarinic receptors undergo proteolytic degradation in vitro under physiological conditions as shown by a loss in [3H]quinuclidinylbenzilate binding activity. The serine protease inhibitor phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride was very effective in diminishing the receptor loss. Soybean trypsin inhibitor was less effective. Both EDTA and EGTA were also effective in abolishing receptor degradation, suggesting the involvement of metallopeptidases in the process. Calcium-dependent neutral proteases requiring sulfhydryl reducing agents did not seem to be involved in receptor degradation. Dithiothreitol failed to enhance receptor degradation and iodoacetamide, leupeptin, and antipain, inhibitors of this enzyme class, failed to alter receptor loss as measured by radioligand binding. Most of the proteolytic activity occurred in the cytosol and was readily resolved from the receptor in the membrane fraction. We found that [3H]quinuclidinylbenzilate, an antagonist, inhibited the rate of receptor loss. On the other hand, agonists (acetylcholine, methacholine, and muscarine) appeared to enhance the rate of receptor loss. We postulate that these opposite effects are due to differences in receptor conformation in response to ligand binding. Susceptibility to proteolysis may therefore serve as a probe for receptor conformation.     

Regulation of L-Type Calcium Channels in GH4 Cells via A1 Adenosine Receptors

Abstract: Identification of A₁ adenosine receptors (A₁Rs) in a tumor cell line derived from rat pituitary (GH₄ cells) was performed by ligand binding and immunological experiments. Subsequently, the involvement of A₁Rs in the regulation of calcium conductance was studied in these cells. The agonist N ⁶-( R )-(2-phenylisopropyl)adenosine ( R -PIA) did not modify the intracellular calcium basal levels, whereas it inhibited the increase produced by 15 m M KCl depolarization. The antagonist 1,3-dipropyl-8-cyclopentylxanthine led to the opening of voltage-dependent cell surface calcium channels in the absence of exogenous KCl. The channels were of the L type because the effect was abolished by calciseptine and by verapamil. These results suggest that endogenous adenosine exerts a tonic inhibitory effect on calcium transport. This was confirmed by the high adenosine concentration found in cell supernatants (up to 1 µ M ) and by the calcium mobilization produced by exogenously added adenosine deaminase. In depolarizing conditions, the calcium peak in the presence of adenosine deaminase was reduced when cells were preincubated with R -PIA, thus suggesting that A₁R activation regulates the intensity of depolarization. These results demonstrate that adenosine is an important regulator of the physiological state of pituitary tumor cells by modulating, in an autocrine manner, the activity of L-type voltage-dependent calcium channels.     

Direct antimicrobial properties of substance P

The structural similarity between substance P (SP, Arg-Pro-Lys-Pro-Gln-Gln-Phe-Phe-Gly-Leu-Met-NH(2)) and Arg/Pro rich bactericidal peptides suggests a possible direct effect of SP on invasive microbes. We now present evidence that substance P possesses direct antimicrobial activity, highest against S. aureus. A substance P antagonist also possesses such activity but while less potent than substance P agonist S. aureus, is more potent than substance P against C. albicans. Our data also show that the endogenous peptides bradykinin and neurotensin, that also play role in modulation of the host-defense system in situ, have antimicrobial properties but are less potent than substance P.