Novel opioid peptides endomorphin-1 and endomorphin-2 are present in mammalian immune tissues

Novel opioid peptides endomorphin-1 and endomorphin-2 are present in mammalian immune tissues

Jessop DS; Major GN; Coventry TL; Kaye SJ; Fulford AJ; Harbuz MS; De Bree FM

Journal Of Neuroimmunology

2000

Female; Humans; Male; Adult; Middle Aged; Animals; Rats; Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support; Wistar; Radioimmunoassay/methods; Chromatography; High Pressure Liquid; Oligopeptides/analysis; Cross Reactions; Immune Sera/immunology; Immune System/chemistry; Spleen/chemistry; Thymus Gland/chemistry; Tissue Extracts/chemistry

Endomorphin (EM)-1 and EM-2 are opioid tetrapeptides, reported within the central nervous system, which have very high specificity and affinity for the mu-opioid receptor. We have used newly developed and well-characterised radioimmunoassays (RIAs) in combination with reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to detect EM-1 and EM-2 immunoreactivity (ir) in rat immune tissues. Endomorphins were detectable in extracts of rat spleen (total EM-1-ir/spleen: 440+/-73 pg, mean+/-SEM, a=group of eight rats; EM-2-ir: 150+/-12 pg) and thymus (EM-1-ir: 152+/-18 pg, mean+/-SEM n=8; EM-2-ir: 156+/-28 pg). EM-2-ir was detectable in extracts of human spleen (338+/-196 pg/g tissue, n=3). Multiple peaks of EM-1-ir and EM-2-ir were observed in rat spleen and thymus extracts, and multiple peaks of EM-2-ir were observed in extracts of human spleen, following reversed-phase HPLC and RIAs. This is the first report of endomorphin immunoreactivity in tissues of the rat and human immune systems.

2000

Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).

Journal Article

Backlog