Identification of a stable chemerin analog with potent activity toward ChemR23.

Chemerin is a novel peptide that was identified as a natural ligand for ChemR23. As it has been reported to be involved in the regulation of immune responses and adipogenesis, chemerin may have a variety of physiological functions. Chemerin is synthesized as a precursor (prochemerin) and is proteolytically activated and inactivated in sequential steps, which control its physiological roles in a coordinated manner. Chemerin-9 (chemerin148-156) was previously identified as the smallest peptide with low nanomolar potency. However, like mature chemerin, chemerin-9 is rapidly degraded and inactivated in plasma, which has limited the use of chemerin-9 in in vivo experiments. In order to identify stable chemerin analogs that facilitate in vivo studies, we synthesized a series of chemerin-9 analogs and examined intrinsic activity and metabolic stability. We identified an agonistic and metabolically stable chemerin-9 analog (d-Tyr(147)-[d-Ser(151), d-Ala(154), Tic(155)]chemerin148-156) that shows enhanced plasma exposure with prolonged half-life in mice upon intraperitoneal administration. Improvement of metabolic stability resulted in a reduction in the plasma free fatty acid levels in fasted mice, which cannot be accomplished by unstable-mouse chemerin-9. This reduction in plasma free fatty acids reflects the anti-lipolysis activity of chemerin-9 and analogs in mouse primary adipocytes. The discovery of a metabolically stable chemerin analog will facilitate investigation of the pharmacological roles of chemerin in vivo. Moreover, this stable chemerin analog might provide new therapeutic approaches to inflammatory diseases such as asthma and metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes where ChemR23 activation may be of benefit.

Antagonism of central melanin-concentrating hormone 1 receptor alleviates steatohepatitis in mice.

Blockade of brain melanin-concentrating hormone 1 receptor (MCH1R) significantly ameliorates fatty liver as well as obesity. However, the mode of action of this effect is unknown. This study examined the effect of a MCH1R antagonist in murine steatohepatitis models with and without obesity and clarified whether these pharmacological effects were attributed to anti-obesity effects. Steatohepatitis with concomitant obese phenotypes was developed after 52-week exposure to a high-fat diet, and steatohepatitis with reduced body weight was developed by exposure to a methionine- and choline-deficient diet for 10 days. Chronic intracerebroventricular infusion of a peptidic MCH1R antagonist reduced hepatic triglyceride contents and ameliorated steatohepatitis on histological observations in both mice models. Improvement of steatohepatitis was concomitant with amelioration of obese phenotypes such as hyperinsulinemia and hyperleptinemia in the case of the obese model, whereas body weight reduction was not associated with amelioration of steatohepatitis by the antagonist in the lean model. Reduction of hepatic gene expressions encoding cytochromes P450 4A was identified by treatment with the antagonist in both the obese and lean models. These results suggest that brain blockade of MCH1R could alleviate steatohepatitis independently from anti-obesity effects. In conclusion, MCH1R antagonist could have a new therapeutic potential for the treatment of human nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

[Patient of advanced age with synclonus liver metastases from colon cancer effectively treated with intraarterial chemotherapy of 5-FU].

An 85-year-old man received ileocecal resection and cholecystectomy for ascending colon cancer with synclonus liver metastases. After a catheter for intraarterial injection into liver was inserted and it fixed to the gastroduodenal artery, an intraarterial chemotherapy of 5-FU 750 mg/body/5 hr biweekly was performed for liver metastases. He had no system trouble and side effects, and liver metastases had been estimated as stable disease for 23 months. After progression of the disease, other chemotherapies such as intraarterial injection of CPT-11 or oral intake of S-1 were not tolerated due to side effects and were immediately discontinued. He died after 31 months postoperatively. Chemotherapy for elderly patients is a key issue in Japan, which is renowned worldwide for its longevity. Nowadays, the standard chemotherapy for unresectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer is continuous venous injection therapy such as FOLFOX. Although intraarterial injection chemotherapy has a risk of system trouble, this procedure could be acceptable for elderly patients because of less anti-cancer drug toxicity. Thus, it should be considered one of several treatment options for unresectable liver metastases in elderly patients.

Plk3 phosphorylates topoisomerase IIalpha at Thr(1342), a site that is not recognized by Plk1.

The Plk (polo-like kinase) family is involved in cell-cycle machinery. Despite the possible overlapping involvement of Plk1 and Plk3 in cell-cycle distribution, the precise role of each Plk might be different. To investigate mechanisms that may differentiate their physiological roles, we compared the substrate specificities of Plk1 and Plk3 using synthetic peptides. Among these substrate peptides, topoisomerase IIalpha EKT(1342)DDE-containing synthetic peptide was strongly phosphorylated by Plk3 but not by Plk1. By modulating the topoisomerase IIalpha peptide, we identified residues at positions +1, +2 and +4 as determinants of differential substrate recognition between Plk1 and Plk3. Acidic residues at positions +2 and +4 appear to be a positive determinant for Plk3 but not Plk1. Variation at position +1 appears to be tolerated by Plk3, while a hydrophobic residue at +1 is critical for Plk1 activity. The direct phosphorylation of Thr(1342) of topoisomerase IIalpha by Plk3 was demonstrated with an in vitro kinase assay, and overexpression of Plk3 induced the phosphorylation of Thr(1342) in cellular topoisomerase IIalpha. Furthermore, the physical interaction between Plk3 and topoisomerase IIalpha was also demonstrated in cells in addition to phosphorylation. These data suggest that topoisomerase IIalpha is a novel physiological substrate for Plk3 and that Plk1 and Plk3 play different roles in cell-cycle regulation.

Development of a potent and selective GPR7 (NPBW1) agonist: a systematic structure-activity study of neuropeptide B.

Neuropeptide B (NPB) has been recently identified as an endogenous ligand for GPR7 (NPBW1) and GPR8 (NPBW2) and has been shown to possess a relatively high selectivity for GPR7. In order to identify useful experimental tools to address physiological roles of GPR7, we synthesized a series of NPB analogs based on modification of an unbrominated form of 23 amino acids with amidated C-terminal, Br(-)NPB-23-NH(2). We confirmed that truncation of the N-terminal Trp residue resulted in almost complete loss of the binding affinity of NPB for GPR7 and GPR8, supporting the special importance of this residue for binding. Br(-)NPB-23-NH2 analogs in which each amino acid in positions 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 and 21 was replaced with alanine or glycine exhibited potent binding affinity comparable to the parent peptide. In contrast, replacement of Tyr(11) with alanine reduced the binding affinity for both GPR7 and GPR8 four fold. Of particular interest, several NPB analogs in which the consecutive amino acids from Pro4 to Val(13) were replaced with several units of 5-aminovaleric acid (Ava) linkers retained their potent affinity for GPR7. Furthermore, these Ava-substituted NPB analogs exhibited potent agonistic activities for GPR7 expressed in HEK293 cells. Among the Ava-substituted NPB analogs, analog 15 (Ava-5) and 17 (Ava-3) exhibited potency comparable to the parent peptide for GPR7 with significantly reduced activity for GPR8, resulting in high selectivity for GPR7. These highly potent and selective NPB analogs may be useful pharmacological tools to investigate the physiological and pharmacological roles of GPR7.

RFamide peptide QRFP43 causes obesity with hyperphagia and reduced thermogenesis in mice.

QRFP, an RFamide peptide, was recently identified as an endogenous ligand of an orphan G protein-coupled receptor, GPR103. Recent investigation revealed that acute intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of QRFP26/P518/26RFa, a constitutive part of QRFP43 (43-amino acid-residue form of QRFP), increases appetite in mice, but its role in long-term energy homeostasis remains unknown. In the present study, we examined the effects of chronic administration of QRFP43 on feeding behavior, body weight regulation, and energy expenditure in mice. Intracerebroventricular infusion of QRFP43 for 13 d resulted in a significant increase in body weight and fat mass with hyperphagia. Weight gain and hyperphagia were more evident when mice were fed a moderately high-fat diet. Pair feeding of QRFP43-infused mice did not increase body weight but significantly increased fat mass and plasma concentrations of insulin, leptin, and cholesterol when compared with controls. Moreover, significant decreases in rectal temperature and expression of brown adipose tissue uncoupling protein-1 mRNA were observed in QRFP43-infused ad libitum- and pair-fed mice. The present results suggest that QRFP plays an important role in energy homeostasis by regulating appetite and energy expenditure.

Hemosuccus pancreaticus caused by rupture of a true splenic artery aneurysm following a failure of coil embolization.

Hemosuccus pancreaticus, particularly that caused by a primary aneurysm, is rarely encountered. Thus, its clinical characteristics are not well known. We report the case of a 53-year old man, who presented with hemosuccus pancreaticus caused by the rupture of an atherosclerotic aneurysm of the splenic artery and underwent distal pancreatectomy with splenectomy. Only 16 cases of hemosuccus pancreaticus due to primary aneurysm have previously been reported in the English-language literature between 1970 and 2003. The relevant literature was also reviewed. The review of the literature showed that because diagnosis is difficult to establish due to intermittent hemorrhage, a long time was often taken before definitive treatment was instituted. Treatment based on a definitive or suspected diagnosis reached a satisfactory result; however, the condition can cause a life-threatening situation. When upper gastrointestinal bleeding from an obscure source is encountered, hemosuccus pancreaticus should be considered. We suggest that when an aneurysm of peripancreatic vessels is present, adequate treatment for the aneurysm should be immediately undertaken, even though the site of the bleeding has not been confirmed.

Antiobesity effect of a melanin-concentrating hormone 1 receptor antagonist in diet-induced obese mice.

Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) is a cyclic orexigenic peptide expressed in the lateral hypothalamus, which plays an important role in regulating energy balance. To elucidate the physiological role of MCH in obesity development, the present study examined the effect of a selective MCH1 receptor (MCH1R) antagonist in the diet-induced obesity mouse model. The MCH1R antagonist has high affinity and selectivity for MCH-1R and potently inhibits intracerebroventricularly injected MCH-induced food intake in Sprague Dawley rats. Chronic intracerebroventricular infusion of the MCH1R antagonist (7.5 microg/d) completely suppressed body weight gain in diet-induced obese mice during the treatment periods and significantly decreased cumulative food intake, by 14%. Carcass analysis showed that the MCH1R antagonist resulted in a selective decrease of body fat in the diet-induced obese mice. In addition, the MCH1R antagonist ameliorated the obesity-related hypercholesterolemia, hyperinsulinemia, hyperglycemia, and hyperleptinemia. These results indicate that MCH has a major role in the development of diet-induced obesity in mice and that a MCH1R antagonist might be a useful candidate as an antiobesity agent.

Primary choriocarcinoma of the jejunum: report of a case.

We report a case of primary choriocarcinoma of the jejunum in a 45-year-old man, which was finally diagnosed by immunohistochemical analysis of a surgically resected specimen. Despite combined systemic chemotherapy, the patient died of progressive liver metastases 5 months after surgery. The serum human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) level increased dramatically as the liver tumor progressed. According to our review of the 13 cases of primary or secondary choriocarcinoma of the small intestine reported in the English-language literature up until 2001, the characteristic symptoms are massive gastrointestinal bleeding and elevation of the serum HCG. Early diagnosis and prompt initiation of chemotherapy provide the only chance of improving the extremely poor prognosis associated with this rare neoplasm.

Development of an orexin-2 receptor selective agonist, [Ala(11), D-Leu(15)]orexin-B.

Investigation of L-alanine and D-amino acid replacement of orexin-B revealed that three L-leucine residues at the positions of 11, 14, and 15 in orexin-B were important to show selectivity for the orexin-2 receptor (OX(2)) over the orexin-1 receptor (OX(1)). L-Alanine substitution at position 11 and D-leucine substitution at positions 14 and 15 maintained the potency of orexin-B to mobilize [Ca(2+)](i) in CHO cells expressing the OX(2), while their potency for the OX(1) was significantly reduced. In combined substitutions, we identified that [Ala(11), D-Leu(15)]orexin-B showed a 400-fold selectivity for the OX(2) (EC(50)=0.13nM) over OX(1) (EC(50)=52nM). [Ala(11), D-Leu(15)]orexin-B is a beneficial tool for addressing the functional roles of the OX(2).