Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Clinical Investigation logoLink to The Journal of Clinical Investigation
. 1978 Dec;62(6):1395–1398. doi: 10.1172/JCI109261

Presence of immunoreactive beta-endorphin in normal human plasma: a concomitant release of beta-endorphin with adrenocorticotropin after metyrapone administration.

K Nakao, Y Nakai, S Oki, K Horii, H Imura
PMCID: PMC371906  PMID: 219030

Abstract

To elucidate whether or not beta-endorphin exists in plasma of normal subjects, plasma extracts obtained before and after metyrapone administration were subjected to gel exclusion chromatography, and fractions obtained were assayed by a sensitive radioimmunoassay for beta-endorphin. The basal plasma level of beta-endorphin was 5.8 +/- 1.1 pg/ml (mean +/- SE, n = 5), which rose significantly to the level of 48.9 +/- 3.8 pg/ml after a single oral dose (30 mg/kg of body wt) of metyrapone administration (P less than 0.001). Plasma ACTH levels also increased from the mean basal level of 73 +/- 4 pg/ml to 269 +/- 41 pg/ml after metyrapone administration. These results indicate that beta-endorphin, distinct from beta-lipotropin, exists in normal human plasma and that it is released from the pituitary concomitantly with ACTH.

Full text

PDF
1395

Selected References

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

  1. Birdsall N. J., Hulme E. C. C fragment of lipotropin has a high affinity for brain opiate receptors. Nature. 1976 Apr 29;260(5554):793–795. doi: 10.1038/260793a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Donald R. A. A rapid method for extracting corticotrophin from plasma. J Endocrinol. 1967 Nov;39(3):451–452. doi: 10.1677/joe.0.0390451. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Guillemin R., Ling N., Vargo T. Radioimmunoassays for alpha-endorphin and beta-endorphin. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1977 Jul 11;77(1):361–366. doi: 10.1016/s0006-291x(77)80205-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Guillemin R., Vargo T., Rossier J., Minick S., Ling N., Rivier C., Vale W., Bloom F. beta-Endorphin and adrenocorticotropin are selected concomitantly by the pituitary gland. Science. 1977 Sep 30;197(4311):1367–1369. doi: 10.1126/science.197601. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hughes J., Smith T. W., Kosterlitz H. W., Fothergill L. A., Morgan B. A., Morris H. R. Identification of two related pentapeptides from the brain with potent opiate agonist activity. Nature. 1975 Dec 18;258(5536):577–580. doi: 10.1038/258577a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Lazarus L. H., Ling N., Guillemin R. beta-Lipotropin as a prohormone for the morphinomimetic peptides endorphins and enkephalins. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976 Jun;73(6):2156–2159. doi: 10.1073/pnas.73.6.2156. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Ling N., Burgus R., Guillemin R. Isolation, primary structure, and synthesis of alpha-endorphin and gamma-endorphin, two peptides of hypothalamic-hypophysial origin with morphinomimetic activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976 Nov;73(11):3942–3946. doi: 10.1073/pnas.73.11.3942. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Loh H. H., Tseng L. F., Wei E., Li C. H. beta-endorphin is a potent analgesic agent. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976 Aug;73(8):2895–2898. doi: 10.1073/pnas.73.8.2895. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Mains R. E., Eipper B. A., Ling N. Common precursor to corticotropins and endorphins. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Jul;74(7):3014–3018. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.7.3014. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Meglio M., Hosobuchi Y., Loh H. H., Adams J. E., Li C. H. beta-Endorphin: behavioral and analgesic activity in cats. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Feb;74(2):774–776. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.2.774. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Nakai Y., Nakao K., Oli S., Imura H. Presence of immunoreactive beta-lipotropin and beta-endorphin in human placenta. Life Sci. 1978 Nov 13;23(20):2013–2018. doi: 10.1016/0024-3205(78)90233-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Nakanishi S., Inoue A., Taii S., Numa S. Cell-free translation product containing corticotropin and beta-endorphin encoded by messenger RNA from anterior lobe and intermediate lobe of bovine pituitary. FEBS Lett. 1977 Dec 1;84(1):105–109. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(77)81067-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Tanaka K., Nicholson W. E., Orth D. N. The nature of the immunoreactive lipotropins in human plasma and tissue extracts. J Clin Invest. 1978 Jul;62(1):94–104. doi: 10.1172/JCI109119. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Investigation are provided here courtesy of American Society for Clinical Investigation

RESOURCES