Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) uptake in intestinal brush-border membrane vesicles: comparison with proton-coupled dipeptide and Na(+)-coupled glucose transport.

The mechanism of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (pGlu-His-Pro-NH2; TRH) uptake across the luminal membrane of intestinal enterocytes was investigated using brush-border membrane vesicles (BBMV) from rabbit duodenum and jejunum and rat upper small intestine. [14C]Glucose accumulated within the intestinal vesicles (at 10 sec), in the presence of an inwardly directed Na+ gradient, 7- to 14-fold higher than equilibrium values (65 min). The vesicles also accumulated the dipeptide [14C]Gly-Sar. Dipeptide uptake was greatest in the presence of both an inwardly directed proton gradient and an inside negative membrane potential. The H(+)-dependent Gly-Sar transport was not affected by the presence of an excess (46-fold) of cold TRH. In contrast to the observations with glucose and Gly-Sar, the uptake of [3H]TRH after 10 or 60 sec (in each of the vesicle preparations) was not enhanced by either Na+ or H+ gradient conditions. The absence of vesicular accumulation of TRH was not due to peptide hydrolysis. For example, after a 60-sec incubation with rabbit jejunal BBMV no degradation of the tripeptide was evident. After 65 min, 6% of [3H]TRH had undergone degradation, by deamidation, to form TRH-OH. These studies provide no evidence for the oral absorption of TRH by a Na(+)- or H(+)-dependent carrier system in the brush-border membrane. Previous observations of TRH absorption in vivo may be accounted for by passive absorption of the peptide combined with its relative resistance to luminal hydrolysis.