The effects of the phyllolitorin analogue [desTrp 3,Leu 8]phyllolitorin on scratching induced by bombesin and related peptides in rats

• Published in: Brain research 1999-08, Vol.839 (1), p.194-198
• Main Authors: Johnson, Mark D, Ko, Mei-Chuan, Choo, Kevin S, Traynor, John R, Mosberg, Henry I, Naughton, Norah N, Woods, James H
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Behavior, Animal - drug effects; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Bombesin; Bombesin - pharmacology; Bombesin antagonist; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GRP(18-27); Injections, Intraventricular; Male; Neuromedin-C; Neurotransmission and behavior; Oligopeptides - pharmacology; Peptides - pharmacology; Phyllolitorin; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid - analogs & derivatives; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Scratching behavior; Sequence Analysis
• ISSN: 0006-8993; 1872-6240
• DOI: 10.1016/S0006-8993(99)01708-4

Bombesin along with several closely related neuropeptides elicit scratching behavior when administered centrally. The first part of the study was designed to determine the antagonistic effects of a novel phyllolitorin analogue [desTrp 3,Leu 8]phyllolitorin (DTP) on scratching induced by three peptides (bombesin, neuromedin-C, and [Leu 8]phyllolitorin). In addition, the binding affinity of each peptide for the bombesin receptor site was determined. DTP (30 μg) inhibited scratching induced by these peptides, but unlike the peptides, DTP had no affinity for the bombesin site, thereby suggesting that DTP is displaying physiological antagonism through an unknown mechanism.