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. 1981 Oct 10;283(6297):937–939. doi: 10.1136/bmj.283.6297.937

Chlorpropamide alcohol flush and circulating met-enkephalin: a positive link.

S Medbak, J A Wass, V Clement-Jones, E D Cooke, S A Bowcock, A G Cudworth, L H Rees
PMCID: PMC1507233  PMID: 6269688

Abstract

Chlorpropamide-alcohol flushing may be due to sensitivity to endogenous opiates. To investigate this possibility the plasma met-enkephalin and beta-endorphin responses to sherry with and without chlorpropamide were studied in six patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes and in six normal subjects. After chlorpropamide all patients showed a rise in met-enkephalin concentrations from a basal level of 50 +/- 7.2 ng/l to a peak of 75 +/- 8.1 ng/l (p less than 0.001). In contrast, before chlorpropamide treatment was started met-enkephalin values did not change after alcohol. No significant changes in beta-endorphin values were observed. In six normal subjects pretreated with chlorpropamide the met-enkephalin concentration also rose from a basal level of 72 +/- 15 ng/l to a peak of 103 +/- 9.4 ng/l (p less than 0.002). Again, the met-enkephalin rise was not observed after placebo. Neither beta-endorphin concentrations nor facial temperature changed significantly. These data suggest that endogenous opiates may be implicated in CPAF. Furthermore, this is the first study in which a significant change in circulating met-enkephalin values has occurred.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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