Abstract
Plasma hydrolysis of leucine enkephalin was studied in a group of patients affected by seasonal allergic asthma in acute and quiescent stage; data were compared with those obtained from a control group of healthy volunteers. Results obtained indicate a statistically significant reduction of leu-enkephalin hydrolysis in allergic subjects. In the quiescent stage, substrate degradation is reduced, and the pattern of the hydrolysis by- products is modified with respect to normal controls. In the acute stage, hydrolysis is further reduced, and the pattern of the hydrolysis by-products is further modified with respect to the quiescent stage. The variations of leu-enkephalin hydrolysis appear to be controlled by decreased activity of proteolytic enzymes and by increased activity of the low-molecular-weight plasma inhibitors active on these enzymes. The sum of these processes is conducive to a distribution of enkephalin-hydrolyzing enzymes, as well as a hydrolysis pattern, that appears to he specific for the allergic subjects and distinct from that seen in the controls.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 411-419 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Clinical Immunology |
Volume | 90 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Mar 1999 |
Keywords
- Allergy
- Asthma
- Enzyme inhibitors
- Opioid peptides
- Plasma proteolysis
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology
- Immunology and Allergy
- Pathology and Forensic Medicine