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Effect of Hypertonic Saline Infusion on the Level of Immunoreactive Dynorphin in Extracted Human Plasma

Developmental Endocrinology Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health Bethesda, Maryland 20892

Address requests for reprints to: Andrew N. Margioris, M.D., National Institutes of Health, Building 10, Room 10N-262, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.

Dynorphin-A and its related peptides are derived from prodynorphin, one of the three known endogenous opioid precursors. The prodynorphin gene is expressed in the vasopressinergic magnocellular neurons of the hypothalamus, while its peptide products are present in the vasopressin (AVP) neurosecretory vesicles of the neurohypophysis. The concentration of immunoreactive (IR) dynorphin is orders of magnitude higher in the neurohypophysis than in any other tissue, suggesting that perhaps the prodynorphin-derived peptides are secreted from the hypothalamic-neurohypophyseal unit into the general circulation. Experiments in rats have shown that osmotic stimuli increase both AVP and prodynorphin in the hypothalamus. To determine whether human hypothalamic prodynorphin is also under osmotic regulation, we measured plasma IR-dynorphin, plasma IR-AVP, and serum sodium immediately before and during the infusion of normal or hypertonic saline in normal human volunteers. because of the unusual susceptibility of the prodynorphin-derived peptides to cleavage by endopeptidases, we also developed an appropriate plasma dynorphin extraction technique. we found that the ir-dynorphin present in human plasma was composed of 6k- and 4k-sized peptides and that no larger than 6k or smaller than 4k dynorphins were present. the infusion of normal saline did not have any significant effect on plasma ir-dynorphin, while 3% hypertonic saline increased its plasma levels. thus, the mean ir-dynorphin level in the plasma of the volunteers infused with normal saline was 40.3 ± 6.4 fmol/ml (mean ± SE; n = 6) at zero time; after 30 min of infusion, plasma IR-dynorphin was 36.0 ± 6.3, after 60 min it was 29.9 ± 5, after 90 min it was 36.0 ± 4.7, after 120 min it was 36.8 ± 3.2, and after 150 min it was 36.0 ± 6.1. The plasma IRdynorphin level in the volunteers infused with hypertonic saline was 31.7 ± 3.5 fmol/mL (mean ± SE; n = 10) at zero time. After 30 min of infusion it increased to 37.4 ± 3.8, after 60 min to 46.4 ± 7.7, after 90 min to 56.2 ± 9.1, after 120 min to 53.6 ± 8.7, and after 150 min to 99.0 ± 14.2. The increase in plasma IRdynorphin with time was significant (P < 0.0001) and correlated positively with serum sodium and plasma AVP. The physiological role of the prodynorphin-derived peptides of the hypothalamic-neurohypophyseal unit is not yet known. It is possible that these endogenous -opioid agonists affect the secretion of AVP or that they modulate its peripheral effects on the collecting tubules of the kidneys and/or the vascular bed.

^* Senior Resident Associate of the National Research Council Washington, D.C.).

Received November 21, 1989.

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