The eff ect of the non-opiate analog of leu-enkephalin (peptide NALE: Phe – D – Ala – Gly – Phe – Leu – Arg) on the reactive oxygen species generation in the heart of albino rats in the early postnatal period was studied. Peptide NALE was administered intraperitoneally in the dose of 100 μ/kg daily from 2 to 6 days of life. Reactive oxygen species generation was assessed by chemiluminescence in the heart homogenates of 7-day-old animals. Decreasing of reactive oxygen species generation nearly by 30 % and an increasing in antioxidant system activity by the 20-27 %, compared with the control parameters, were found. The antioxidant eff ect of peptide NALE is associated with the presence of the amino acid Arg in the structure of the peptide. An analogue of NALE peptide, devoid of Arg (peptide Phe – D – Ala – Gly – Phe – Leu – Gly), had a signifi cant lower antioxidant eff ect. The NO-synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) in the dose 50 mg/kg, administered with NALE peptide, reduced the severity of the NALE antioxidant eff ect. The results of the study suggest that the pronounced antioxidant eff ect of NALE peptide in the heart of albino rats, at least in part, is due to the interaction with the nitric oxide system.
Mitochondrial Creatine Kinase Activity Prevents Reactive Oxygen Species Generation