Degradation of cholecystokinin octapeptide, related fragments and analogs by human and rat plasma in vitro.

The rate of degradation of cholecystokinin octapeptide, related fragments and analogs by human and rat plasma was investigated, using high pressure liquid chromatography for the separation and identification of the degradation products. CCK tetrapeptide showed a half-life of 13 min in human plasma while its cleavage in rat plasma occurred at a very high rate (half-life of less than 1 min). The kinetics of disappearance of both sulphated and unsulphated CCK-8 indicated more than a single rate of degradation; the faster degrading system showed a half-life of 18 min for unsulphated CCK-8 and of 50 min for the sulphated peptide in human plasma as compared respectively with 5 and 17 min in rat plasma. The cleavage of CCK-8 was inhibited by bestatin and puromycin, suggesting that aminopeptidases play a major role in the breakdown of this peptide. CCK-9 analogs were rapidly converted into their corresponding octapeptides (half-life of 2.7 min in human plasma). This conversion was inhibited by puromycin and bestatin, suggesting the participation of aminopeptidase(s) probably specific for basic amino acids. CCK decapeptide exhibited a greater stability than the nonapeptides (half-life of 30 and 45 min in human and rat plasma respectively) and also gave rise to CCK-8 as degradation product. This cleavage was not affected by aminopeptidase inhibitors but was decreased by aprotinin (Trasylol), suggesting that trypsin-like and/or kallikrein-like enzyme(s) were involved in the plasma metabolism of this peptide.