Author(s)

Mitsumasa Matsuda¹, Masanobu Yoshikawa^2*, Takugi Kan¹, Mariko Watanabe¹, Junko Ajimi¹, Shigeru Takahashi², Masaaki Miura^1,3, Kenji Ito¹, Hiroyuki Kobayashi², Toshiyasu Suzuki¹

¹Department of Anesthesiology, School of Medicine, Tokai University, Isehara, Japan.
²Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tokai University, Isehara, Japan.
³Department of Anesthesiology, Hiratsuka City Hospital, Hiratsuka, Japan.

Our group has earlier demonstrated that three enzymes sensitive to peptidase inhibitors (PIs), amastatin (A)-, captopril (C)-, and phosphoramidon (P), played an important role in inactivation of enkephalins at the spinal level. Dynorphin-converting enzyme (DCE) hydrolyzes dynorphin (Dyn) A (1-17) or Dyn A (1-13) mainly at the Arg⁶-Arg⁷ bond. Dynorphin A and its derived peptides interact with opioid and glutamate receptors at their N- and C-terminals, respectively. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the antinociceptive potency and toxicity of intrathecal administered Dyn A (1-17), Dyn A (1-13), or Dyn A (1-6) under pretreatment with ACP and/or the DCE inhibitor p-hydroxymercuribenzoate (PHMB). The effect of these PIs on Dyn A (1-17)-induced inhibition of electrically-evoked contractions in mouse vas deferens was also investigated. The inhibitory potency of Dyn A (1-17) on electrically-evoked contractions in mouse vas deferens under pretreatment with ACP was higher than that with AC, AP, or CP. Pretreatment with ACP augmented Dyn A (1-17) or (1-13)-induced antinociception by approximately 50- or 30-fold with no sign of allodynia when administered intrathecally at low doses. Pretreatment with ACP and PHMB induced neuropathy. These findings showed that intrathecal administration of low-dose Dyn A (1-17) or DynA (1-13) increased antinociception under pretreatment with ACP, but without signs of allodynia in rat.

Dynorphin A, Peptidase, Dynorphin-Converting Enzyme, Antinociception, Allodynia

Matsuda, M. , Yoshikawa, M. , Kan, T. , Watanabe, M. , Ajimi, J. , Takahashi, S. , Miura, M. , Ito, K. , Kobayashi, H. and Suzuki, T. (2017) Effect of Peptidase Inhibitors on Dynorphin A (1-17) or (1-13)-Induced Antinociception and Toxicity at Spinal Level. Pharmacology & Pharmacy, 8, 33-51. doi: 10.4236/pp.2017.82003.