PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Reto Babst
AU  - Lucilla Bongiorno
AU  - Mario Marini
AU  - L. Giorgio Roda
AU  - Giulio Spagnoli
AU  - Alessandra Urbani
TI  - Trauma Decreases Leucine Enkephalin Hydrolysis in Human Plasma
DP  - 1999 Feb 01
TA  - Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
PG  - 766--773
VI  - 288
IP  - 2
4099  - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/288/2/766.short
4100  - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/288/2/766.full
SO  - J Pharmacol Exp Ther1999 Feb 01; 288
AB  - Plasma hydrolysis of leucine enkephalin was evaluated, together with several cellular immune parameters, in a homogeneous group of human subjects who had undergone severe trauma (proximal femur fracture); data obtained were compared with those obtained in an age-matched control group. In the experimental group, immediately after hospitalization, substrate hydrolysis was reduced with respect both to the control subjects and the same patients 4 weeks after the trauma. Chromatographic separation of the enzymes active on leu-enkephalin showed that the reduction of substrate hydrolysis is mainly attributable to the decrease in the activity of enkephalin-degrading enzymes, principally of aminopeptidases, per se, whereas the role of the low-molecular-weight plasma inhibitors is only minor. In the same subjects, several of the immunological parameters measured underwent modifications that may be considered stress related. However, the absence of a quantitative relationship between reduction in hydrolysis and modifications of immune parameters does not support the hypothesis of a direct relationship between these two sets of data. The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics