Specific radioimmunoassay of human. beta. -endorphin in unextracted plasma

Journal Article · Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1979 · J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1210/jcem-49-3-478· OSTI ID:5246105

Wiedemann, E ^[1]; Saito, T; Linfoot, J A; Li, C H

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1. Univ. of California, Berkeley

With an antiserum against human ..beta..-endorphin (..beta..-EP) crossreacting <2% with human ..beta..-lipotropin (..beta..-LPH) by weight we have developed a radioimmunoassay that can detect 1 pg ..beta..-EP in diluted raw plasma. In a.m. fasting plasma of 14 normal subjects ..beta..-EP ranged from <5 to 45 pg/ml. ..beta..-EP was elevated in untreated, but normal in successfully treated Cushing's disease; undetectable in a patient with adrenal adenoma; extremely high in Nelson's syndrome; and elevated in a patient with bronchogenic carcinoma before, but undetectable after tumor resection. In subjects with intact hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, ..beta..-EP was undectectable after dexamethasone and increased after metyrapone administration and insulin-induced hypoglycemia. ..beta..-EP concentration was considerably lower in serum than in simultaneously collected plasma, but increased in serum left unfrozen for several hours after clot removal. Thus, ..beta..-EP behaves like a hormone responding to the same stimuli as ACTH and ..beta..-LPH and blood appears to contain enzymes both generating and destroying immunoreactive ..beta..-EP.

• OSTI ID: 5246105
• Journal Information: J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.; (United States), Vol. 49:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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