The intracerebrally administered dynorphin-B produced not only an antinociceptive response but a motor dysfunction such as "barrel-rolling", circling, jumping or ataxia in mice. These two effects were observed in a same dose range. Both responses were also produced by a nonopioid fragment, des-Tyr-dynorphin-B. Bestatin, an aminopeptidase inhibitor, markedly potentiated the antinociceptive response induced by dynorphin-B but not the motor dysfunction. Bestatin did not affect the responses produced by des-Tyr-dynorphin-B. In the presence of bestatin, low doses of dynorphin-B produced an antinociceptive response without the motor dysfunction. Naloxone antagonized the potentiated antinocicpetion but had no effect on the motor dysfunction. These results suggest that dynorphin-B produced an analgesia through opioid receptors and that this peptide also induced a motor dysfunction through a nonopioid receptor.

Aminopeptidases↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Analgesic effects of dynorphin-A and morphine in mice.

To investigate whether or not dynorphin-A is analgesic, the effect of this peptide was tested in comparison with that of morphine in mice. Dynorphin-A produced a potent analgesic effect in the acetic acid writhing and tail pinch tests, but a weak effect in the tail flick test when given by intracerebroventricular injection. In contrast, morphine caused a potent analgesia in all the tests. Dynorphin-A was more effective when given by intrathecal injection than by intracerebroventricular injection, whereas morphine was equipotent by both injection routes. The results suggest that dynorphin-A is analgesic and that its analgesia may be differentiated from that of morphine.

Analgesics↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Mutagenicity and cytotoxicity of naphthoquinones for Ames Salmonella tester strains.

The molecular mechanisms involved in quinone cytotoxicity, especially mutagenicity, are still largely unknown. In order to better understand the molecular aspects of the mechanisms of quinone mutagenicity and cytotoxicity, we examined them by using a series of 13 simple structural naphthoquinone (NQ) derivatives for 9 Ames Salmonella mutagenicity tester strains in the presence of absence of liver homogenate S9 mix from rats induced with phenobarbital and 5,6-benzoflavone. Most NQs used in this study showed mutagenicity with and/or without S9 mix. The most potent mutagenic NQ was 2,3-dichloro-1,4-NQ, with mutagenicity of 18 induced revertants/nmol/plate for strain TA104 without S9 mix. Among the strains used, TA104, which is sensitive to oxidative mutagens, was the most sensitive to the NQs, and the second most sensitive strain was TA2637, which detects bulky DNA adducts. The relationship of mutagenic potency to the one-electron reduction potential with TA104 suggested that the higher redox potential NQs were more mutagenic than the lower redox potential NQs. Significant reduction of the mutagenicity of 1,4-naphthoquinone without S9 mix was observed in the presence of catalase. Enhancement of the mutagenic potential of the NQs by the pKM101 plasmid implicated in error-prone repair was also observed. The most cytotoxic NQ was 2,3-dichloro-5,8-dihydroxy-1,4-NQ, and the least cytotoxic NQ was beta-NQ-4-sulfonic acid potassium salt, a 700-fold range in potency. The cytotoxic effect of the NQs was largely dependent on the structures of their substituents.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗