Neuropeptide Modulation of Murine Erythropoiesis

摘要

Neuropeptides, particularly the endogenous opioid peptides, function in the central nervous system (CNS) as potent analgesics in response to pain stimuli. One group of the endogenous opioid peptides, termed endorphins, is derived from beta-lipotropin, which, along with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), is a product of proopiomelanocorticotropin. In addition, the enkephalins, synthesized in both the brain and the intestinal tract, are molecules with structural homology to the N-terminal pentapeptide of the endorphins. Neuropeptide modulation of hematopoietic stem cell differentiation was studied in an in vitro murine system. Endorphins were able to influence the erythropoietin-dependent differentiation of bone marrow cells into erythroid colony forming units in a dose dependent manner. The effect on progenitor cell maturation were influenced by the conditions and time of exposure to the endorphins. The modulation of erythropoiesis by the endorphins suggests that these peptides may function as modifiers of the maturation of bone marrow cells. Reprints. (AW)