Hepatic metabolism of somatostatin-14 and somatostatin-28: immunochemical characterization of the metabolic fragments and comparison of cleavage sites.

Previous studies have shown that somatostatin-14 (S-14) is rapidly metabolized in the liver through the action of aminopeptidases and endopeptidases, resulting in separate cleavages at the N-terminus and the cyclized (ring) portion of the molecule. In the present study we have characterized the hepatic metabolism of somatostatin-28 (S-28) and compared it with that of S-14 to determine whether S-28 is degraded by a process similar to that for S-14, and additionally, whether the hepatic metabolism of S-28 results in significant conversion to S-14. Isolated rat livers were perfused with synthetic S-28, somatostatin-25[(S-25), an N-terminal metabolite of S-28], C- and N-terminally radioiodinated analogs of S-28, S-14, and des-Ala1-S-14[(S-13), an N-terminal metabolite of S-14]. The metabolic products were characterized by separate N-terminally directed S-14 and S-28 RIAs, a common ring-directed RIA for S-14, S-28, S-13, and S-25, immunoprecipitation, gel chromatography, and HPLC. Hepatic extractions of S-28 and S-25, monitored as ring-directed immunoreactivity, were equivalent, but both occurred 4 times more slowly than that of S-14 or S-13. By contrast, the N-terminal metabolism of S-14 and S-28 monitored by specific N-terminal RIAs occurred at similar rates (hepatic extraction of 54% and 44%, respectively). Both S-14 and S-28 were degraded significantly more rapidly at the N-terminus than at the ring segment. Immunochemical characterization of the radioactive metabolites of N- and C-terminally radioiodinated S-28 analogs confirmed the more rapid N-terminal cleavage of S-28 compared with its ring breakdown. Gel chromatography of S-28 perfusates followed by RIA of the column fractions for N-terminal and ring-reactive metabolites, showed a time-dependent conversion of S-28 to a peak coeluting with S-14 (27% conversion by 60 min). That S-14 was a significant metabolite of S-28 was further confirmed by HPLC analysis of the hepatic perfusate. The main hepatic metabolite of S-28 coeluted with S-28 on Sephadex columns but showed reduced N-terminal reactivity compared to intact S-28. This product thus appeared to be a N-terminally modified form of S-28 as also suggested by HPLC analysis where it coeluted with synthetic S-25. These data have demonstrated that the hepatic metabolism of S-28 occurs via three separate processes, two of which are similar to those for S-14. These include 1) endopeptidase cleavage through the cyclized (ring) segment; 2) N-terminal aminopeptidase cleavage to yield metabolites such as S-25; and 3) tryptic-like cleavage of the Arg-Lys region of S-28 to generate S-14.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)