DISTRIBUTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ENTEROSTATIN-LIKE IMMUNOREACTIVITY IN HUMAN CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID

Enterostatins belong to a family of peptides (e.g., Val-Pro-Asp-Pro-Ar g, VPDPR; Ala-Pro-Gly-Pro-Arg, APGPR; and Val-Pro-Gly-Pro-Arg, VPGPR) derived from the tryptic cleavage of amino-terminal pentapeptide from procolipase. Pharmacologic studies have suggested a role for these pep tides in appetite regulation and insulin secretion. Studies into the d istribution of enterostatins or the role of endogenous peptides have n ot been possible until now due to the lack of a suitable method for as say. Using two polyclonal antibodies raised against VPDPR and APGPR an d different chromatographic methods, we have examined the nature and d istribution of enterostatin-like immunoreactivity in human cerebrospin al fluid. The results reported here show for the first time the presen ce of enterostatin-like immunoreactivity in the human cerebrospinal fl uid. Further characterization of cerebrospinal fluid enterostatin-like immunoreactivity revealed that it is not due to APGPR, VPGPR, or VPDP R but to another peptide similar to VPDPR. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science I nc.