COMPARISON OF SITE-DEPENDENT DEGRADATION OF PEPTIDE DRUGS WITHIN THE GUT OF RATS AND RABBITS

Intestinal luminal degradation of neurotensin and acetylneurotensin-(8-13) within the gut of rats and rabbits was compared using brush-border membranes. Patterns of differential proteolysis of these two peptides within the intestine were similar within the same species and between the species. In both rats and rabbits, jejunal brush-border membranes had the highest proteolytic activities degrading neurotensin and acetylneurotensin-(8-13), and caecal or ileocaecal brush-border membranes had the lowest activities. In both species, patterns of site-dependent degradation of neurotensin and acetylneurotensin-(8-13) agreed with the distribution profiles of endopeptidase-24.11 and angiotensin-converting enzyme within the gut. The distal intestine of rats and rabbits has the lowest activities degrading these two compounds. The results demonstrate that distribution of peptidases within the gut will affect site-dependent degradation and absorption of peptide drugs.