[Heterogeneity and physiological activity of bovine k-casein proteolysis products]

Gel chromatography in columns with Sephadex G-50 and biogel P-2 was used to separate a number of fractions formed in k-casein of cow's milk after short-term treatment with swine trypsin. These fractions, similar to beta-casomorphin, are capable of reducing the respiration and heart rates in rabbits after intravenous injection in a dose of 100 micrograms/kg, that suggests their capacity for interaction with opiate receptors. Some fractions injected subcutaneously induce in starving animals an electroencephalographic picture of satiation, similar to that observed after cholecystokinin injections. Correlation of amino acid composition and physiologic activity has evidenced that cholecystokinin and opioid effects are caused by different peptides.