Administration of pig calcitonin (10 M.R.C. units/kg body wt.) produced an immediate decrease in 5-hydroxytryptamine content in the antrum-duodenum region and ileum. In contrast, the hormone treatment rapidly increased the concentration of 5-hydroxytryptamine in the blood and pancreas. Serum immunoreactive gastrin did not change over a period of 3h after calcitonin administration. The results s...

Trimebutine at low concentrations (6 X 10(-9)-1.4 X 10(-8) M) slightly enhanced the twitch response of isolated guinea pig ileum induced by transmural stimulation. At high concentrations (2 X 10(-8)-2 X 10(-7) M), however, it inhibited the twitch response in a dose dependent manner. This inhibitory effect of trimebutine was reversed by naloxone (8.1 X 10(-9) M). These results suggest that trime...

New mu-opioid receptor (MOR) agonists containing piperazine and homopiperazine moieties in the structures were synthesized and their affinities to and agonist potencies on MOR were evaluated. Among the synthesized compounds, 4-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)piperazin-1-yl]-N,N-dimethyl-2,2-diphenylbutanamide (20 Aa) showed the highest affinity to the human MOR expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-K1 c...

A new pathway leading to a mixture of four isomers of 4-aminopyroglutamic acid is described. Michael type addition of Z-deltaAla-OMe to enolates prepared from acylaminomalonates, followed by hydrolysis and decarboxylation give protected 4-aminopyroglutamic acid with the cis:trans ratio approximately 3:2. This mixture was incorporated into Leu-enkephalin (position 2-3). After separation of pepti...

The full primary structure of the very potent opioid peptide dynorphin, from porcine pituitary, has been determined. It is (H)Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Leu-Arg-Arg-Ile-Arg-Pro-Lys-Leu-Lys-Trp-Asp-Asn-Gln(OH). The synthetic peptide with this sequence behaves identically to natural dynorphin in a number of ways, and it has the same potency in the guinea pig ileum myenteric plexus--longitudinal muscle bioas...