Differential release of enkephalin and enkephalin-containing peptides from perfused cat adrenal glands.

We have compared the enkephalin-like material derived from proenkephalin released from perfused cat adrenal glands stimulated with pilocarpine (5 X 10(-4)M) and nicotine (5 X 10(-6) M). In addition, two doses of acetylcholine (10(-5) and 10(-4) M) and 50 mM K+ were tested. Free Met-enkephalin immunoreactivity and total Met-enkephalin immunoreactivity, as determined by enzymatic digestion of large enkephalin-containing fragments, were coreleased with catecholamines. Free Met-enkephalin immunoreactivity represented 13% of total immunoreactivity for nicotinic stimulation, 46% for pilocarpine, 33% for 10(-5) M acetylcholine, 22% for 10(-4) M acetylcholine, and 16% for 50 mM K+. Analysis of the perfusate by gel filtration showed that 80% of the total Met-enkephalin immunoreactivity whose release was induced by pilocarpine was eluted in fractions corresponding to fragments of low molecular weight, whereas these fractions accounted only for 10% of the total Met-enkephalin immunoreactivity whose release was induced by nicotine. HPLC analysis of low-molecular-weight peptide fractions revealed that Met-enkephalin, Met-enkephalin-Arg-Gly-Leu, and Met-enkephalin-Arg-Phe represented 69% of total Met-enkephalin immunoreactivity whose release was induced by pilocarpine. These results indicate that selective activation of muscarinic receptors is followed by release of low-molecular-weight material, whereas nicotine application also yielded high-molecular-weight peptides. Furthermore, increasing the acetylcholine concentration from 10(-5) to 10(-4) M and using 50 mM K+ increased proportionally the high-molecular-weight peptide secretion. Results are discussed in relation to the existence of a heterogeneous population of granules either in the same cell or in different cells, containing proenkephalin-derived peptides. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)