Dufour E
France
Research Article
Opiorphin Secretion Pattern in Healthy Volunteers: Gender Difference and
Organ Specificity
Author(s): Dufour E, Villard-Saussine S, Mellon V, Leandri R, Jouannet P, Ungeheuer MN and Rougeot CDufour E, Villard-Saussine S, Mellon V, Leandri R, Jouannet P, Ungeheuer MN and Rougeot C
Background: Opiorphin is an endogenous human peptide regulator of enkephalin bioavailability. It inhibits enkephalin-inactivating ectopeptidases to produce analgesia and antidepressant-like effects in standard rodent models via activation of μ and/or δ opioid pathways. Our aim was to establish the quantitative profile of secretion and distribution of this regulator in young adult volunteers. Methods: We developed a specific ELISA-based method, in tandem with RP-HPLC chromatography, to determine opiorphin levels in blood, urine, semen and milk of healthy male and female volunteers. We also investigated the presence of the mature opiorphin in tears and saliva because it was previously reported that PROL1 gene, encoding opiorphin precursor, is primarily expressed in human lachrymal and salivary glands. Results: Opiorphin circulates as an endocrine messenger in the human bloodstr.. View More»
DOI:
10.4172/2161-1009.1000136