Plasma Half-Life and Organ Uptake Ratio of Radiolabeled Glandular Kallikrein in Control and Nephrectomized Rats

The purified rat urinary kallikrein was radiolabeled by lactoperoxidase method and by chloramine T method. Plasma half-life of radiolabeled kallikrein was 5.06 +/- 0.59 (n = 5) min in control rats and 5.24 +/- 0.42 (n = 5) min in nephrectomized rats. There was no difference between two groups. From autoradiogram, main metabolic organs of radiolabeled kallikrein were liver, kidney and spleen. Total uptake of radiolabeled kallikrein in ech organ was the highest in liver (73.2%). The uptake per g tissue of radiolabeled kallikrein in each organ was high in liver (33.0%), kidney (31.4%) and spleen (21.1%). These results suggest that the active kallikrein is metabolized mainly in the liver, and kidney is not so an important organ to metabolize or to eliminate the active kallikrein in plasma. In order to clarify the mode of existence of active kallikrein in plasma, the following experiment was done by using disc gel electrophoresis. Radioactive profile of radiolabeled kallikrein showed one peak (Rf = 1.0), but radiolabeled kallikrein mixed with rat plasma showed two peaks, that is small peak (Rf = 1.0), and main peak (RF = 0.5). The most of radiolabeled kallikrein was bound to plasma protein and only five per cent was in free form. Furthermore, the binding of radiolabeled kallikrein to plasma protein was interfered by the addition of active kallikrein. These results suggest the possibility of existence of kallikrein binding protein in plasma.