BOC-14C-glycine pentapeptide metabolism in vitro in rat organ homogenates

BOC-14C-glycine pentapeptide undergoes hydrolysis on incubation with tissue homogenates. The enzyme activities responsible for hydrolysis have the pancreas, lung and small intestine as their sites. No enzyme activity is demonstrable in liver, kidney and muscle. While intrapulmonary enzyme activity is marked by thermolability, the activities of the pancreatic and intestinal tissues are scarcely affected by heat. The optimum pH is 7.1 for the pulmonary, 7.1 and 10 for the pancreatic and small intestinal enzyme activity. EDTA has proved inhibitory to the enzyme activities of all three organs, in contrast to Gordox and to soybean trypsin inhibitor which leave these activities unaltered.