Spinal cord dynorphin precursor intermediates decline during late gestation.

V M Medina; D Gupta; A R Gintzler

doi:10.1046/j.1471-4159.1995.65031374.x

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Spinal cord dynorphin precursor intermediates decline during late gestation.

V M Medina·D Gupta·A R Gintzler

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Abstract

This laboratory has previously reported that the maternal opioid analgesia associated with pregnancy and parturition is mediated, at least in part, by a maternal spinal cord dynorphin/kappa opioid system. This analgesia is accompanied by an increase in dynorphin peptides (1-17 and 1-8) in the lumbar spinal cord. Levels of trypsin-generated arginine6-leucine-enkephalin (Leu-Enk-Arg)-immunoreactive determinants were also determined and used to reflect the content of dynorphin precursor intermediates. In spinal tissue, the amount of dynorphin A (1-17) contained in the form of precursor is, at a minimum, 10-fold higher than the content of mature dynorphin A (1-17) or dynorphin (1-8). During gestational day 22, the content of dynorphin precursor is reduced significantly (approximately 50%). The decline in the magnitude of dynorphin precursor intermediates in the spinal cord of pregnant rats vastly exceeds the magnitude of increase in the content of dynorphin peptides (1-17 and 1-8). This difference can best be explained by postulating a corresponding increase in the rate of release of spinal cord dynorphin (1-17). It is suggested that enhanced processing of dynorphin precursor intermediates represents the initial biochemical level of adaptation of spinal dynorphin neurons to increased demands of pregnancy.

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Analgesia Animals Dynorphins Enkephalin, Leucine Female Molecular Weight Pregnancy Pregnancy, Animal Protein Precursors Rats Rats, Sprague-Dawley Spinal Cord Time Factors Trypsin Journal Article

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V M Medina, D Gupta, A R Gintzler. 1995. Spinal cord dynorphin precursor intermediates decline during late gestation.. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1471-4159.1995.65031374.x

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