Leucine enkephalin degradation in allergopathic versus normal human plasma.

The enzyme hydrolysis of labelled leu-enkephalin in the presence of plasma enzymes was studied by kinetic and chromatographic techniques in a group of allergopathic patients in the acute and quiescent stage; data obtained have been compared with those obtained with normal controls. Results shown indicate that in the quiescent stage substrate degradation is reduced, and that the pattern of the hydrolysis by-products is modified with respect to the controls. In the acute as compared to the quiescent stage, enkephalin hydrolysis is further reduced, and the pattern of hydrolysis by-products is further modified. ANOVA analysis of these data indicates that the dependency of hydrolysis reduction upon the grouping of subjects (i.e., controls, quiescent and acute stage) is statistically very significant. Reduced substrate hydrolysis, and modified hydrolysis pattern, appears to be associated with decreased activity of the enzymes involved and more significantly with increased activity of the low molecular weight plasma inhibitors. The combination of these two factors appears to define a hydrolysis pattern characteristic of the allergopathic subjects, similar in the quiescent and acute phase, and different from that observed in the controls.