Effects of ACTH, epinephrine and met-enkephalin on brain B-endorphin-like immunoreactivity, and of ACTH, epinephrine, met-enkephalin and naloxone on retention, in normal and in protein- malnourished rats

Rats raised and maintained on a normal-protein diet (25% protein) responded to the ip adminsitration of ACTH-(1-24), epinephrine or Met-enkephalin with a decrease in hypothalamic Beta-endorphin-like immunoreactivity, which is attributable to a release of this substance. This effect was not seen in rats raised an maintained on a low-protein diet (8% protein). In the normal animals, the pre-test administration of ACTH, epinephrine or Met-enkephalin and the post-training adminsitration of naloxone enhanced retention-test performance of a step-down inhibitory avoidance task. These behavioral effects were absent in the protein-malnourished rats. Previous studies have shown that the behavioral effect of post-training naloxone is secondary to the release of brain Beta-endorphin during training, and that the pre-test it is not likely that the differences were caused by hyperreactivity to the aversive stimuli employed, the suggested interpretation is that protein-malnourished rats present a dysfunction in the brain Beta-endorphin system which renders it unresponsive not only to novel training experiences, but also to the pre-test retrieval enchancing effects of ACTH, epinephrine and Met-enkephalin

Undernutrition during suckling does not change the specific or total activity of hypothalamic proline endopeptidase in adult rats

Undernutrition during suckling causes a decrease in hypothalamic beta-endorphin-like immunoreactivity in rats. Since proline endopeptidase (E.C. 3.4.21.26) has been proposed to play a role in the processing of Beta-endorphin, we examined the effects of undernutrition during suckling on the enzyme activity. Rats were undernourished by feeding their dams an 8% casein diet from the day of birth until weaning (21 days). Dams of well-nourished rats were fed a 25% casein diet during the same period. After weaning, all rats received a 20% protein diet until 90 to 120 days of age when they were killed for the enzyme assay. The specific and total activity of hypothalamic proline endopeptidase was not altered by undernutrition followed by nutritional rehabilitation(2.37 + or - 0.24 nmol sulphamethoxazole min-1 mg-1 for well-nourished rats vs 2.68 + or - 0.24 nmol sulphamethoxazole min-1 mg-1 for undernourished rats). This lack of correlation suggests that proline endopeptidase is probably not responsible for the low levels of hypothalamic Beta-endorphin found in adult rats submitted to undernutrition during suckling