title: Assay of endopeptidase-24.11 activity in plasma applied to in vivo studies of endopeptidase inhibitors.
abstract: We developed a fluorometric assay for endopeptidase-24.11 (EC 3.4.24.11) in human plasma. Substrate [glutaryl-Ala-Ala-Phe-amidomethylcoumarin(AMC)] was incubated with plasma (20 microL, 30 min, pH 7.6) with (control) or without the endopeptidase-24.11 inhibitor phosphoramidon. Further incubation with aminopeptidase M released free AMC. Within-assay CVs were 4.5% and 8.6%, respectively, at 3.31 and 0.27 nmol of AMC released per milliliter per minute. The between-assay CV was 10.4% at 0.31 nmol/mL per minute and the detection limit was 0.05 nmol/mL per minute. A highly skewed distribution of endopeptidase-24.11 in 41 normal samples was found, ranging from 0.12 to 6.84 nmol/mL per minute (median = 0.44). Mean endopeptidase-24.11 concentrations were significantly higher in hypertensive subjects (0.68 nmol/mL per minute) than in normotensive subjects (0.34 nmol/mL per minute; P less than 0.05). Compared with placebo administration, the oral endopeptidase-24.11 inhibitor UK 79300 significantly inhibited the plasma enzyme at doses of 100 mg (twice daily). Although in normotensive subjects the enzyme was unaffected with doses of 25 mg, the same dose (25 mg) inhibited the plasma enzyme in hypertensive subjects. No activity was detected in sheep plasma, but addition of exogenous endopeptidase-24.11 to sheep plasma in vitro allowed in vivo assessment of the effect of infused endopeptidase-24.11 inhibitor SCH 39370.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Princess Margaret Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yandle
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Charles
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Livesey
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Espiner
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D003374:Coumarins; D004151:Dipeptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D007189:Indans / Q000494:pharmacology; D007668:Kidney / Q000201:enzymology; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015260:Neprilysin / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000097:blood*; D009842:Oligopeptides; D011422:Propionates / Q000494:pharmacology; D012756:Sheep; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D003374:Coumarins; D004151:Dipeptides; D007189:Indans; D009842:Oligopeptides; D011422:Propionates; C060631:Sch 39370; C076774:glutaryl-alanyl-alanyl-phenylalanyl-amidomethylcoumarin; C062766:candoxatril; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases; D015260:Neprilysin