Characterization of a Multiple-Scan-Rate Voltammetric Waveform for Real-Time Detection of Met-Enkephalin.

Opioid peptides are critically involved in a variety of physiological functions necessary for adaptation and survival, and as such, understanding the precise actions of endogenous opioid peptides will aid in identification of potential therapeutic strategies to treat a variety of disorders. However, few analytical tools are currently available that offer both the sensitivity and spatial resolution required to monitor peptidergic concentration fluctuations in situ on a time scale commensurate with that of neuronal communication. Our group has developed a multiple-scan-rate waveform to enable real-time voltammetric detection of tyrosine containing neuropeptides. Herein, we have evaluated the waveform parameters to increase sensitivity to methionine-enkephalin (M-ENK), an endogenous opioid neuropeptide implicated in pain, stress, and reward circuits. M-ENK dynamics were monitored in adrenal gland tissue, as well as in the dorsal striatum of anesthetized and freely behaving animals. The data reveal cofluctuations of catecholamine and M-ENK in both locations and provide measurements of M-ENK dynamics in the brain with subsecond temporal resolution. Importantly, this work also demonstrates how voltammetric waveforms can be customized to enhance detection of specific target analytes, broadly speaking.

Glucuronidation kinetics of R,S-ketoprofen in adjuvant-induced arthritic rats.

PURPOSE: A pharmacokinetic study was carried out in rats to investigate the effect of arthritis on the glucuronidation of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug ketoprofen. METHODS: An i.v. bolus dose of R,S-ketoprofen (10 mg/kg) was administered to control (n = 6) and adjuvant-induced arthritic rats (n = 6). All experiments were carried out in bile-exteriorized animals. Concentrations of R- and S-ketoprofen in plasma, bile and urine, and of their glucuronides in bile and urine were determined by HPLC. In a separate series of experiments, the ex vivo plasma protein binding of R- and S-ketoprofen was measured in control and arthritic rats following i.v. administration of R,S-ketoprofen. RESULTS: As a result of a significant decrease in plasma albumin concentrations in arthritic rats, the unbound fraction of R- and S-ketoprofen was significantly increased (approximately 2-fold) in rats with adjuvant-induced arthritis. Total (i.e., bound plus unbound) plasma clearances of R- and S-ketoprofen were not different in arthritic rats. Unbound plasma clearances of both ketoprofen enantiomers, however, were significantly reduced (by 53% and 61%, respectively). This was due to a significant impairment in the formation of the R- and S-ketoprofen glucuronides. There was no apparent effect of adjuvant-induced arthritis on the chiral inversion of R- to S-ketoprofen. CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant-induced arthritis in the rat leads to a significant impairment in the in vivo glucuronidation of R- and S-ketoprofen.

Glucuronidation of R- and S-ketoprofen, acetaminophen, and diflunisal by liver microsomes of adjuvant-induced arthritic rats.

The effect of adjuvant-induced arthritis on hepatic microsomal glucuronidation was studied in the rat. Arthritis was induced by injection of Mycobacterium butyricum suspended in liquid paraffin. Vmax and the Michaelis-Menten constant values for the in vitro glucuronidation of R- and S-ketoprofen, acetaminophen, and diflunisal by liver microsomes obtained from control and adjuvant-induced arthritic rats were compared. In addition, uridine 5'-diphosphate-glucuronosyltransferase activity toward bilirubin and p-nitrophenol, as well as levels of cytochrome P-450 and beta-glucuronidase were determined in these microsomal preparations. Adjuvant-induced arthritis resulted in a significant reduction in hepatic cytochrome P-450 levels and in p-nitrophenol glucuronidation (5.65 +/- 0.40 versus 2.58 +/- 0.27 micromol.min/mg protein in control and arthritic rats, respectively, mean +/- S.E.M.). Glucuronidation of bilirubin and beta-glucuronidase activities in liver microsomes and in plasma were not affected by adjuvant-induced arthritis. Vmax (nmol/min/mg protein) for the formation of R-ketoprofen glucuronide, S-ketoprofen glucuronide, diflunisal phenolic glucuronide, and diflunisal acyl glucuronide was significantly decreased in arthritic rats (0.68 +/- 0.10, 0.77 +/- 0. 12, 0.044 +/- 0.005, 0.26 +/- 0.03, respectively) compared with control rats (1.45 +/- 0.04, 1.60 +/- 0.04, 0.087 +/- 0.008, 0.46 +/- 0.04, respectively). Glucuronidation of p-nitrophenol, ketoprofen and diflunisal, substrates which seem to be at least partly glucuronidated in the rat by isoenzymes of the UGT2B subfamily, was impaired in adjuvant-induced arthritis. Glucuronidation of bilirubin and acetaminophen, substrates of UGT1- isoenzymes, was not affected by adjuvant-induced arthritis. It seems, therefore, that adjuvant-induced arthritis in the rat leads to impaired glucuronidation of substrates of the UGT2B subfamily.

Modulation of paracetamol metabolism by Kupffer cells: a study on rat liver slices.

Recent studies support the hypothesis that non parenchymal cells (mainly macrophages) may play a role in the metabolism and cellular effects of paracetamol. In order to investigate this hypothesis, male Wistar rats were intravenously injected with either 7.5 mg/kg gadolinium chloride (Gd+) or NaCl 0.9% (Gd-). The treatment with GdCl3 decreased the number and the function of Kupffer cells in liver tissue, as assessed by the histological examination of the liver after colloidal carbon injection in the portal vein. Precision-cut liver slices (PCLS) were prepared from both groups of rats and cultured for 8h in Waymouth's medium in the presence and absence of 5 mM paracetamol. Interestingly, PCLS obtained from Gd+ rats exhibited a lower release of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) and a better viability than PCLS from control (Gd-) rats. Incubation with paracetamol led to a decreased glycogen level in liver slices from Gd+ or Gd-, without modifying neither liver morphology nor ATP level nor LDH release. A higher proportion of paracetamol glucuronide, was secreted from the slices obtained from Gd+ rats. These data suggest that Kupffer cells could affect the viability of PCLS in culture and are involved in the regulation of phase II metabolism in the adjacent hepatocytes. We propose that PCLS in culture is a suitable model to elucidate the biochemical mechanism underlying the modulation of metabolism occurring through hepatocytes-Kupffer cells interactions.

Evaluation of the formalin test to assess the analgesic activity of diflunisal in the rat.

The formalin test was evaluated to assess the analgesic activity of diflunisal in the rat. Fifty microliters of a 5% formalin solution was injected into the hindpaw of rats and two distinct nociceptive behaviors, i.e. flinching/shaking and licking/biting of the injected paw, were recorded over 120 min. The effect of factors such as age of the animal, time of injection (morning vs. afternoon), site of injection (right vs. left hind paw) were evaluated. Both nociceptive behaviors exhibited a biphasic time course. Rats weighing 210-220 grams showed a more intense response compared to older rats weighing 240-250 or 270-280 grams. The nociceptive behavior response was affected by the time of formalin injection and was more pronounced in the morning. Diflunisal (100 mg/kg, i.v. infusion over 3 min) caused a significant delay in the flinching/shaking response vs. time curve, whereas the licking/biting response was significantly inhibited. When carried out under carefully controlled conditions, the formalin test may be useful to study the analgesic effect of diflunisal in the rat. It seems to be less sensitive, however, than other commonly used nociceptive tests.