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. 1982 Jul;79(13):4226–4230. doi: 10.1073/pnas.79.13.4226

beta-Endorphin enhances lymphocyte proliferative responses.

S C Gilman, J M Schwartz, R J Milner, F E Bloom, J D Feldman
PMCID: PMC346611  PMID: 6287475

Abstract

The opioid peptides alpha- and beta-endorphin and [D-Ala2, Met5]enkephalin were investigated for their effect on the proliferation of resting and activated rat splenic lymphocytes in vitro. beta-Endorphin enhanced the proliferative response of spleen cells to the T cell mitogens concanavalin A and phytohemagglutinin. The effect of beta-endorphin was dose dependent and occurred at peptide concentrations similar to those found in rat plasma. alpha-Endorphin and [D-Ala2, Met5]enkephalin did not affect the proliferative responses to any mitogen tested. Furthermore, the potentiating effect of beta-endorphin was not reversed by treatment with 10 microM naloxone. None of the peptides had any effect on resting, unstimulated spleen cells or on the response to a mixture of lipopolysaccharide and dextran sulfate, which is specifically mitogenic for B lymphocytes. The pharmacological properties of the beta-endorphin potentiation indicate that the effect may be mediated by a nonopiate but beta-endorphin-specific mechanism. These results suggest a possible role for peripheral beta-endorphin and may provide a link between stress and disease susceptibility.

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Selected References

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