Enkephalin, an endogeneous substance in the human brain showing morphine-like biological functions, has been detected at the single molecule level based on the surface-enhanced Raman signal of the ring breathing mode of phenylalanine, which is one building block of the molecule. For enhancing the Raman signal the enkephalin molecules have been attached to silver colloidal cluster structures. Th...

We investigated the effects of the neuropeptide met-enkephalin on histamine-induced bronhoconstriction in an experimental model of asthma. Classic Konzett and Rössler's method of whole body plethysmography modified by Gjuris, was applied in the study. This method represents a standard experimental model of bronchoconstriction, suitable for the evaluation of peptide effects on the histamine-indu...

Photolabile derivatives of D-Ala2-Leu5-enkephalin were prepared by synthetic procedures in which a 2-nitro-4-azidophenyl group is linked to the terminal carboxyl group of the enkephalin by means of an ethylenediamine or ethylenediamine beta-alanine spacer. These peptides bind to opiate receptors with nanomolar affinities and inhibit electrically stimulated contractions of the mouse vas deferens...

PURPOSE The localization and distribution of neuropeptide expression in the cat visual pathway can provide information about the function of that pathway. METHOD Study of optic pathway in eight cats. Following extraction of the brain, slices were prepared using a microkeratome. The slices were examined by indirect immunocytochemistry using anti-metenkephalin as antibody to determine the prese...

Evidence for two different broad-specific oligopeptide transporters in the 1 intestinal cell line Caco-2 and the colonic cell line CCD841 2 3 Paresh Chothe, Nagendra Singh and Vadivel Ganapathy 4 5 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA 6 30912, U. S. A. 7 8 Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: V. Ganapathy, Department of 9 Bi...

Although there are several different types of opiate receptors in mammals (Goldstein and James, 1984) and a variety of different ionic responses can be elicited by each of the receptor types on different neurones (Crain and Shen, 1990), relatively little attention has been given to the role of opiate receptors in invertebrates. We have previously demonstrated that the nervous system of the mari...

Opioid receptors are synthesized in dorsal root ganglia and transported into peripheral terminals of primary afferent neurons. Activation of such receptors results in antinociceptive effects that are most prominent in inflammation. In addition, opioid receptors located on sympathetic postganglionic neuron terminals may be involved in these effects. This study investigates the peripheral analges...

A recent theory for the long time dynamics of flexible chain molecules is applied for the first time to a peptide of biological importance, the neurotransmitter met-enkephalin. The dynamics of met-enkephalin is considerably more complicated than that of the previously studied glycine oligomers; met-enkephalin contains the interesting motions of phenyl groups and of side chains relative to the b...