A comparative study on the rectal aminopeptidase enzymatic activities of different species.

The aim of the present study was to compare the enzymatic activity of four different aminopeptidases (aminopeptidase N, leucine aminopeptidase, aminopeptidase A, aminopeptidase B) in rectal homogenates from different species: rabbit, rat, guinea-pig, sheep and human. Different substrates were used as the relative specific substrates for the determination of aminopeptidase enzymatic activity. For this purpose, 4-methoxy-2-naphthylamide of L-alanine for aminopeptidase N, 4-methoxy-2-naphthylamide of L-leucine for leucine aminopeptidase, 4-methoxy-2-naphthylamide of L-glutamic acid for aminopeptidase A and 4-methoxy-2-naphthylamide of L-arginine for aminopeptidase B were employed. The rectal aminopeptidase enzymatic activity was determined spectrofluorometrically. The inhibition of activity of aminopeptidase in the presence of bestatin and puromycin inhibitors was also investigated. The results showed the presence of aminopeptidase enzymatic activity in all rectal homogenates. Sheep and guinea-pig had the greatest aminopeptidase activity. The four aminopeptidase activities of rat and rabbit were not significantly different from each other. Human data was not evaluated statistically, due to insufficient sample. But the values of human data was close to those of the rabbit and rat values except for aminopeptidase A. Based on the data of the hydrolysis and inhibition of the 4-methoxy-2-naphthylamide substrates, it was rather difficult to determine the aminopeptidase type in the rectal homogenates of the species studied. It has been found that the aminopeptidase activities of rat and rabbit were not statistically different from each other and the human data were close to them.