Gutstein Howard B, Bronstein David M, Akil Huda
Department of Anesthesiology and Mental Health Research Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MIUSA.
Pain. 1992 Nov;51(2):241-247. doi: 10.1016/0304-3959(92)90265-D.
While enkephalin and dynorphin peptides have been well characterized in the spinal cord, the cellular localization of beta-endorphin (beta E) and the processing of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) to beta E and other non-opioid peptides in the cord have not been extensively investigated. Other investigators have characterized the various beta E forms present in rat spinal cord regions. Previous studies have also suggested that spinal POMC content is entirely derived from supraspinal sources. However, high proportions of beta E precursors present in spinal cord sieving profiles led us to suspect the presence of POMC cell bodies intrinsic to the cord. In this study, we performed thoracic spinal cord lesions on a group of animals and demonstrated the persistence of about one-third of control levels of beta E immunoreactivity (beta E-IR) below the level of the lesions. We also characterized POMC processing in various regions of the spinal cord both before and after lesioning. These data suggested that there may be intrinsic POMC/endorphinergic neuronal systems in the spinal cord.
虽然脑啡肽和强啡肽在脊髓中已得到充分表征，但β-内啡肽（βE）在脊髓中的细胞定位以及阿片促黑皮质素原（POMC）在脊髓中加工生成βE和其他非阿片肽的过程尚未得到广泛研究。其他研究人员已对大鼠脊髓区域中存在的各种βE形式进行了表征。先前的研究还表明，脊髓中的POMC含量完全来自脊髓以上的来源。然而，脊髓筛分图谱中存在高比例的βE前体，这使我们怀疑脊髓中存在POMC细胞体。在本研究中，我们对一组动物进行了胸段脊髓损伤，并证明在损伤水平以下，βE免疫反应性（βE-IR）约有三分之一的对照水平持续存在。我们还对损伤前后脊髓各个区域的POMC加工过程进行了表征。这些数据表明脊髓中可能存在内在的POMC/内啡肽能神经元系统。
