Effects of α-Melanocortin Enantiomers on Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity in CBA Mice

Molecules

Petra Turčić¹  Mirna Bradamante¹  Karlo Houra¹  Nikola Štambuk¹  Tomislav Kelava¹  Paško Konjevoda¹  Saša Kazazić¹  Dražen Vikić-Topić¹ 

[1]¹Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb, Domagojeva 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

关键词: enantiomer;    α-MSH;    hepatoprotection;    hepatotoxicity;    antibody;    CD spectroscopy;   

DOI  :  10.3390/molecules14125017

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Proteins and peptides in mammals are based exclusively on L-amino acids. Recent investigations show that D-amino acids exhibit physiological effects in vivo, despite of their very small quantities. We have investigated the hepatoprotective effects of the Land D-enantiomers of α-melanocortin peptide (α-MSH). The results showed that peptideenantiomerism is related to the protective effects of melanocortin peptides in vivo. L-α-MSH exhibited potent hepatoprotective effect in the experimental model of acetaminophen induced hepatotoxicity in male CBA mice, while its D-mirror image was inefficient. Furthermore, the antibody to the L-peptide did not recognize the D-structure. The results indicate that the opposite peptide configuration may be used to modulate its function and metabolism in vivo and in vitro.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.