title: Synthetic peptide octarphin (TPLVTLFK), a selective agonist of nonopioid β-endorphin receptor, stimulates nitric oxide synthesis in macrophages.
abstract: Synthetic peptide octarphin (TPLVTLFK, a selective agonist of nonopioid β-endorphin receptor) was able to activate in a dose-dependent manner murine macrophages to express nitric oxide (NO) synthase and to produce NO. Octarphin required lipopolysacharide for the optimal induction of NO production. Octarphin-dependent NO production was sensitive to inhibition by dexamethasone and the NO synthase specific inhibitor NG-monomethyl-L-arginine. In the concentration range of 1-1000 nM, octarphin increased the cyclic 3',5'-guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) content in macrophages stimulated with lipopolysacharide. The effect was dependent on the peptide concentration and was maximal at a concentration of 100 nM. Thus, octarphin stimulates both NO and cGMP production in macrophages.
authors.affiliation: Branch of Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Science Avenue, 6, Pushchino, Moscow Region, 142290, Russia.
authors.forename: Vladimir B
authors.initials: VB
authors.lastname: Sadovnikov
authors.forename: Elena V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Navolotskaya
mesh_terms: D008264:Macrophages / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011957:Receptors, Opioid / Q000819:agonists*
chemical_list: D009842:Oligopeptides; D011957:Receptors, Opioid; C555005:octarphin; D009569:Nitric Oxide
keywords: cyclic nucleotide; macrophage; nitric oxide; peptide; receptor; β-endorphin