Skip to main content
PMC home page
Clinical and Experimental Immunology logoLink to Clinical and Experimental Immunology
. 1992 Feb;87(2):178–182. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2249.1992.tb02971.x

Decreased immunoreactive beta-endorphin in mononuclear leucocytes from patients with rheumatic diseases.

C J Wiedermann 1, P Sacerdote 1, E Mur 1, U Kinigadner 1, T Wicker 1, A E Panerai 1, H Braunsteiner 1
PMCID: PMC1554252  PMID: 1735181

Abstract

The neuroendocrine polypeptide hormone beta-endorphin (beta-END), which is released from various tissues including the anterior pituitary gland and cells of the immune system, has recently been implicated as having an immunoregulatory role. We used a radioimmunoassay to measure beta-END levels in circulating mononuclear leucocytes from normal subjects and patients with various rheumatic diseases. Levels of beta-END in leucocytes from patients were lower than in leucocytes from healthy subjects (P less than 0.001). Whereas levels of beta-END in leucocytes from patients with the various rheumatic disorders were not significantly different, an inverse correlation was found between beta-END levels in leucocytes and expression of rheumatoid factor (P less than 0.025) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (P less than 0.025). This study demonstrates decreased content of beta-END in cells of the immune system related to parameters of inflammatory activity in rheumatic diseases.

Full text

PDF
178

Selected References

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

  1. Almay B. G., Johansson F., Von Knorring L., Terenius L., Wahlström A. Endorphins in chronic pain. I. Differences in CSF endorphin levels between organic and psychogenic pain syndromes. Pain. 1978 Aug;5(2):153–162. doi: 10.1016/0304-3959(78)90037-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Cush J. J., Lipsky P. E., Postlethwaite A. E., Schrohenloher R. E., Saway A., Koopman W. J. Correlation of serologic indicators of inflammation with effectiveness of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug therapy in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 1990 Jan;33(1):19–28. doi: 10.1002/art.1780330103. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Denko C. W., Aponte J., Gabriel P., Petricevic M. Serum beta-endorphin in rheumatic disorders. J Rheumatol. 1982 Nov-Dec;9(6):827–833. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Ekdahl C., Ekman R., Andersson S. I., Melander A., Svensson B. Dynamic training and circulating levels of corticotropin-releasing factor, beta-lipotropin and beta-endorphin in rheumatoid arthritis. Pain. 1990 Jan;40(1):35–42. doi: 10.1016/0304-3959(90)91048-N. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Flores C. M., Hernandez M. C., Hargreaves K. M., Bayer B. M. Restraint stress-induced elevations in plasma corticosterone and beta-endorphin are not accompanied by alterations in immune function. J Neuroimmunol. 1990 Aug;28(3):219–225. doi: 10.1016/0165-5728(90)90015-f. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Heijnen C. J., Kavelaars A., Ballieux R. E. Beta-endorphin: cytokine and neuropeptide. Immunol Rev. 1991 Feb;119:41–63. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-065x.1991.tb00577.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hemmick L. M., Bidlack J. M. Beta-endorphin stimulates rat T lymphocyte proliferation. J Neuroimmunol. 1990 Sep-Oct;29(1-3):239–248. doi: 10.1016/0165-5728(90)90167-l. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kavelaars A., Ballieux R. E., Heijnen C. J. Beta-endorphin secretion by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells: regulation by glucocorticoids. Life Sci. 1990;46(17):1233–1240. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(90)90498-g. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kavelaars A., Ballieux R. E., Heijnen C. J. In vitro beta-adrenergic stimulation of lymphocytes induces the release of immunoreactive beta-endorphin. Endocrinology. 1990 Jun;126(6):3028–3032. doi: 10.1210/endo-126-6-3028. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kazis L. E., Meenan R. F., Anderson J. J. Pain in the rheumatic diseases. Investigation of a key health status component. Arthritis Rheum. 1983 Aug;26(8):1017–1022. doi: 10.1002/art.1780260811. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kidd B. L., Mapp P. I., Gibson S. J., Polak J. M., O'Higgins F., Buckland-Wright J. C., Blake D. R. A neurogenic mechanism for symmetrical arthritis. Lancet. 1989 Nov 11;2(8672):1128–1130. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(89)91491-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Levine J. D., Clark R., Devor M., Helms C., Moskowitz M. A., Basbaum A. I. Intraneuronal substance P contributes to the severity of experimental arthritis. Science. 1984 Nov 2;226(4674):547–549. doi: 10.1126/science.6208609. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Locatelli V., Petraglia F., Penalva A., Panerai A. E. Effect of dopaminergic drugs on hypothalamic and pituitary immunoreactive beta-endorphin concentrations in the rat. Life Sci. 1983 Oct 24;33(17):1711–1717. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(83)90728-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Martini A., Sacerdote P., Mantegazza P., Panerai A. E. Antiepileptic agents affect hypothalamic beta-endorphin concentrations. J Neurochem. 1984 Sep;43(3):871–873. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1984.tb12811.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Morgan E. L., McClurg M. R., Janda J. A. Suppression of human B lymphocyte activation by beta-endorphin. J Neuroimmunol. 1990 Aug;28(3):209–217. doi: 10.1016/0165-5728(90)90014-e. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Panerai A. E., Martini A., Di Giulio A. M., Fraioli F., Vegni C., Pardi G., Marini A., Mantegazza P. Plasma beta-endorphin, beta-lipotropin, and met-enkephalin concentrations during pregnancy in normal and drug-addicted women and their newborn. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1983 Sep;57(3):537–543. doi: 10.1210/jcem-57-3-537. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Panerai A. E., Sacerdote P., Bianchi M., Brini A., Mantegazza P. Brain and spinal cord neuropeptides in adjuvant induced arthritis in rats. Life Sci. 1987 Sep 7;41(10):1297–1303. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(87)90209-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Sacerdote P., Rubboli F., Locatelli L., Ciciliato I., Mantegazza P., Panerai A. E. Pharmacological modulation of neuropeptides in peripheral mononuclear cells. J Neuroimmunol. 1991 Apr;32(1):35–41. doi: 10.1016/0165-5728(91)90069-j. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Stein C., Hassan A. H., Przewłocki R., Gramsch C., Peter K., Herz A. Opioids from immunocytes interact with receptors on sensory nerves to inhibit nociception in inflammation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1990 Aug;87(15):5935–5939. doi: 10.1073/pnas.87.15.5935. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Terenius L. Endogenous peptides and analgesia. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol. 1978;18:189–204. doi: 10.1146/annurev.pa.18.040178.001201. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Teschemacher H., Koch G., Scheffler H., Hildebrand A., Brantl V. Opioid peptides. Immunological significance? Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1990;594:66–77. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1990.tb40468.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Clinical and Experimental Immunology are provided here courtesy of British Society for Immunology

RESOURCES