Efficacy of parenteral administration of bee venom in experimental arthritis in the rat: a comparison with methotrexate.

The use of bee venom (BV) to treat inflammation and pain in arthritis has become increasingly common. This study aimed to compare the effects of BV and methotrexate (MTX), the most used disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug, in arthritic rats. Edema, erythema, cyanosis, hyperalgesia, reduction of the body mass gain, high circulating tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and anti-type II collagen antibodies (AACII), and altered activity of basic (APB) and neutral (APN) aminopeptidases and dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV) are present in arthritic rats. MTX and/or BV do not affect AACII in healthy or arthritic individuals, but restores TNF-α to normal levels in arthritic rats. BV restores body mass gain to normal levels and MTX ameliorates body mass gain. BV contains DPPIV. BV restores APN in synovial fluid (SF) and in soluble fraction (S) from synovial tissue (ST), and DPPIV in solubilized membrane-bound fraction (M) from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). MTX restores APN of SF, as well as ameliorates APB of S-PBMCs, APN of S-ST and DPPIV of M-PBMCs. The combination therapy does not overcome the effects of BV or MTX alone on the peptidase activities. Edema is ameliorated by MTX or BV alone. MTX, but not BV, is effective in reducing hyperalgesia. Data show that anti-arthritic effects of BV at non-acupoints are not negligible when compared with MTX.

Neutral aminopeptidase and dipeptidyl peptidase IV activities in plasma of monosodium glutamate obese and food-deprived rats.

Biometric parameters, glycemia and activity levels of plasma neutral aminopeptidase (APN) and dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV) were measured in monosodium glutamate obese and food-deprived rats (MSG-FD), to analyze the involvement of these enzymes in such situations. Plasma APN was distinguished as sensitive (PSA) (K(m) = 7.8 x 10(-5) mol/l) and predominantly insensitive (APM) (K(m) = 21.6 x 10(-5) mol/l) to puromycin, whereas DPPIV was sensitive (DPPIV-DS) (K(m) = 0.24 x 10(-5) mol/l) and predominantly insensitive (DPPIV-DI) (K(m) = 7.04 x 10(-5) mol/l) to diprotin A. Although unchanged in the MSG and food-deprived animals, APM activity levels were closely correlated with body mass, Lee index, and mass of retroperitoneal fat pad in the food deprived, but not in the MSG animals. DPPIV-DI activity levels decreased by 33% and were correlated with body mass, Lee index, and mass of periepididymal fat pad in the food-deprived MSG rats. These data suggest that APM and DPPIV-DI are respectively related to the downregulation of somatostatin in food-deprived rats, and to the recovery of energy balance in MSG obese rats during food deprivation.

Prolyl, cystyl and pyroglutamyl peptidase activities in the hippocampus and hypothalamus of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Prolyl, cystyl and pyroglutamyl peptidases are emerging targets for diabetes and cognitive deficit therapies. The present study is focused on the influence of diabetes mellitus induced by streptozotocin on levels of representative hydrolytic activities of these enzymes in the rat hypothalamus and hippocampus. Streptozotocin-diabetic rats presented about 348mg glucose/dL blood, and a slightly increased hematocrit and plasma osmolality. The activities of soluble and membrane-bound dipeptidyl-peptidase IV, and soluble cystyl aminopeptidase did not differ between diabetic and control rats in both brain areas. Hippocampal soluble prolyl oligopeptidase presented similar activities between diabetic and controls. Increased activities in diabetics were observed for soluble prolyl oligopeptidase (1.78-fold) and membrane-bound cystyl aminopeptidase (2.55-fold) in the hypothalamus, and for membrane-bound cystyl aminopeptidase (5.14-fold) in the hippocampus. In both brain areas, the activities of membrane-bound and soluble pyroglutamyl aminopeptidase were slightly lower (<0.7-fold) in diabetics. All modifications (except hematocrit) observed in streptozotocin-treated rats were mitigated by the administration of insulin. Glucose and/or insulin were shown to alter in vitro the hypothalamic activities of soluble pyroglutamyl aminopeptidase and prolyl oligopeptidase, as well as membrane-bound cystyl aminopeptidase. These data provide the first evidence that diabetes mellitus generates direct and indirect effects on the activity levels of brain peptidases. The implied regional control of regulatory peptide activity by these peptidases suggests novel potential approaches to understand certain disruptions on mediator and modulatory functions in diabetes mellitus.

Aspartyl, arginyl and alanyl aminopeptidase activities in the hippocampus and hypothalamus of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Acid (aspartyl), basic (arginyl) and neutral (alanyl) aminopeptidases degrade angiotensins, vasopressin, oxytocin, bradykinin and enkephalins. These peptides regulate memory, energy homeostasis, water-salt balance and blood pressure, functions that are mainly exerted in the hippocampus and hypothalamus, and that can be affected by diabetes mellitus. To evaluate the relationship between the diabetes mellitus and processing and inactivation roles of these representative aminopeptidases, we measured their activities in both brain structures of control and streptozotocin-diabetic rats. Hypothalamic soluble aspartyl and arginyl aminopeptidases presented significant decreased activity levels in diabetic rats, which were mitigated by insulin therapy. In addition to membrane-bound puromycin sensitive and insensitive alanyl aminopeptidases, its soluble puromycin sensitive form did not differ between diabetic and control rats in both brain structures. Glucose and/or insulin did not seem to alter in vitro the hypothalamic activities of soluble aspartyl and arginyl aminopeptidases. The implied hypothalamic control of regulatory peptide activity by aspartyl and arginyl aminopeptidases supports the hypothesis that the hydrolytic ability of these enzyme types could be a common link for the disruptions of water-salt balance, blood pressure and energy homeostasis in diabetes mellitus.

The C-type natriuretic peptide precursor of snake brain contains highly specific inhibitors of the angiotensin-converting enzyme.

The bradykinin-potentiating peptides from Bothrops jararaca venom are the most potent natural inhibitors of the angiotensin-converting enzyme. The biochemical and biological features of these peptides were crucial to demonstrate the pivotal role of the angiotensin-converting enzyme in blood pressure regulation. In the present study, seven bradykinin-potentiating peptides were identified within the C-type natriuretic peptide precursor cloned from snake brain. The bradykinin-potentiating peptides deduced from the B. jararaca brain precursor are strong in vitro inhibitors of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (nanomolar range), and also potentiate the bradykinin effects in ex vivo and in vivo experiments. Two of these peptides are novel bradykinin-potentiating peptides, one of which displays high specificity toward the N-domain active site of the somatic angiotensin-converting enzyme. In situ hybridization studies revealed the presence of the bradykinin-potentiating peptides precursor mRNAs in distinct regions of the B. jararaca brain, such as the ventromedial hypothalamus, the paraventricular nuclei, the paraventricular organ, and the subcommissural organ. The biochemical and pharmacological properties of the brain bradykinin-potentiating peptides, their presence within the neuroendocrine regulator C-type natriuretic peptide precursor, and their expression in regions of the snake brain correlated to neuroendocrine functions, strongly suggest that these peptides belong to a novel class of endogenous vasoactive peptides.