Beta-lipotropin is the major component of the plasma opioid response to surgical stress in humans

Journal Article · Mon Dec 07 00:00:00 EST 1987 · Life Sci.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0024-3205(87)90443-7· OSTI ID:5243291

Porro, C A; Facchinetti, F; Bertellini, E; Petraglia, F; Stacca, R; Barbieri, G C; Genazzani, A R

There is growing experimental evidence that beta-endorphin immunoreactivity is raised by surgical stress in patients undergoing general anesthesia. As the assay methods employed to date did not allow to fully discriminate between beta-endorphin and its immediate precursor, beta-lipotropin, the authors have investigated in the present study plasma levels of these two peptides by separating them by chromatography on plasma extracts prior to radioimmunoassay. Beta-lipotropin, but not beta-endorphin, plasma levels were found to be significantly elevated during surgery in the general anesthesia group, while no change was found in either peptide concentration in the spinal one. Cortisol plasma levels also increased significantly 90 minutes after the beginning of surgery. Although the sampling time they adopted may have prevented them from detecting an early peak of beta-endorphin during the first 30 minutes of surgery, the major component of the pituitary opioid response to surgical stress appears to be related to beta-lipotropin. This is in agreement with results of experimental work on various kinds of stress in animals and humans and seems to rule out a role for plasma beta-endorphin in post-operative analgesia. 38 references, 1 figure, 1 table.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Modena (Italy)
• OSTI ID: 5243291
• Journal Information: Life Sci.; (United States), Vol. 41:23
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
ENDORPHINS
RADIOIMMUNOASSAY
PEPTIDES
SURGERY
BIOLOGICAL STRESS
CHROMATOGRAPHY
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
MAN
PATIENTS
ANIMALS
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AGENTS
DATA
DRUGS
IMMUNOASSAY
IMMUNOLOGY
INFORMATION
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
MAMMALS
MEDICINE
NEUROREGULATORS
NUMERICAL DATA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PRIMATES
PROTEINS
RADIOASSAY
RADIOIMMUNOLOGY
SEPARATION PROCESSES
TRACER TECHNIQUES
VERTEBRATES
550201* - Biochemistry- Tracer Techniques
550600 - Medicine