The involvement of cytosolic chymotrypsin-like, trypsin-like, and cucumsin-like activities in degradation of insulin and insulin-like growth factor I by epithelial tissues.

Using specific substrates, benzyloxycarbonyl-Gly-Gly-Leu-p-nitroanilide, benzyloxycarbonyl-Gly-Gly-Arg-2-naphthylamide and benzyloxycarbonyl-Leu-Leu-Glu-2-naphthylamide, cytosolic chymotrypsin-like, trypsin-like and cucumsin-like activities were determined, respectively, in rat epithelial tissues and differentiated human Caco-2 cells. The cytosolic fractions of rat colonic, rectal, nasal, and alveolar epithelial cells and differentiated human Caco-2 cells contained these three distinct enzyme activities. However, effects of enzyme inhibitors revealed that these three distinctive activities were not extensively involved in cytosolic or homogenate degradation of insulin and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I). It is concluded that proteasome-like activities may not significantly limit nonparenteral absorption of peptide and protein drugs such as insulin and IGF-I.