Evaluation of enkephalinase inhibition in the living mouse, using [3H]acetorphan as a probe

S De la Baume, F Brion, M Dam Trung Tuong and JC Schwartz

Laboratoire de Physiologie, Universite Rene Descartes, Paris, France.

A novel in vivo binding test was developed in order to evaluate the degree of occupancy of enkephalinase (EC 3.4.24.11), a membrane-bound metallopeptidase, in cerebral and peripheral tissues of mice treated with enkephalinase inhibitors. The probe selected for this purpose was the prodrug [3H]acetorphan, a lipophilic diesterified derivative of the potent enkephalinase inhibitor thiorphan readily releasing the latter by tissue hydrolysis. In order to validate the in vivo binding assay, [3H]thiorphan binding to membranes was first studied in vitro. [3H]Thiorphan binding to cerebral and peripheral tissues (lung and kidney) was saturable over a low nonspecific binding, occurring with a KD of 0.6 nM consistent with the Ki of the compound as enkephalinase inhibitor. [3H]Thiorphan binding varied largely among various tissues and was highly correlated with the catalytic activity of enkephalinase, thus indicating a selective labeling of the peptidase. After the i.v. administration of [3H]acetorphan a large fraction of the radioactivity remained bound to membranes isolated by a rapid filtration assay. Bound radioactivity mainly corresponded to [3H] thiorphan as identified by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of kidney membranes, whereas unchanged [3H]acetorphan was not detectable. In vivo binding generated by [3H]acetorphan was saturable, with maximum binding sites values which were in rather good agreement with corresponding maximum binding sites values of [3H]thiorphan binding in vitro, particularly in brain. Specific in vivo binding was calculated as the difference between total and a generally low, nonspecific binding evaluated in mice receiving a large dose of nonlabeled acetorphan. Specific in vivo binding varied largely among tissues and generally reflected the abundance of enkephalinase molecules in the latter.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Volume 247, Issue 2, pp. 653-660, 11/01/1988
Copyright © 1988 by American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics