Immunomodulating effects of methionine enkephalin

甲硫氨酸脑啡肽（ＭｅｔＥｎｋ）在神经免疫内分泌调节网络中的作用引起广泛关注．作者等实验证明它能使ＬＰＳ刺激的小鼠腹腔巨噬细胞产生ＩＬ１，纳洛酮不能阻止这种作用．ＭｅｔＥｎｋ促进小鼠脾淋巴细胞增殖和ＩＬ２、ＩＬ６的产生，这种上调作用与增强此二种白细胞介素ｍＲＮＡ转录并提高其稳定性有关．因此ＭｅｔＥｎｋ在增强前炎性细胞因子表达方面是一个重要的免疫调节信号分子．

Methionine enkephalin (Met Enk), the endogenous neuropeptide, is suggested to be involved in the regulatory loop between immune and neuroendocrine systems. Our studies showed that Met Enk over a wide range of concentrations increased interleukin 1 (IL 1) production from mouse peritoneal macrophages induced by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and naloxone did not block the enhancing effect. Met Enk promoted the proliferation of mouse splenocyte and the production of IL 2 and IL 6 in a dose dependent manner. The up regulating effects of IL 2 and IL 6 not only augmented their mRNA transcription but also increased their stability. Thus Met Enk appears to be an important immunomodulatory signaling molecule to exert regulatory actions concerned with the expressing of pre inflammatory cytokines.