An enzyme which N-acetylates beta-endorphin has been identified and characterized in the rat brain and pituitary gland. The beta-endorphin acetyltransferase activity was localized almost exclusively in the intermediate lobe of the pituitary gland. beta-endorphin acetyltransferase activity was also present in the hypothalamus, a brain region which synthesizes beta-endorphin, but not the cerebell...

background: wet cupping therapy is a complementary therapy in pain management. the mechanism of this therapy, however, needs further elucidation. cells injured by wet cupping therapy seem to stimulate the expression of heat shock protein 70 (hsp70). its benefit in pain reduction could be mediated by the expression of ß-endorphin. this study aimed at determining the correlation between hsp70 and...

Numerous studies have investigated the behavioural effects of beta-endorphin, both endogenous and exogenously applied. However, the potential for biotransformation of beta-endorphin in the extracellular space of the brain has not been previously directly addressed in vivo. Utilising microinfusion/microdialysis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometry, we investigated be...

Plasma B-endorphin and prolactin profiles were obtained from groups of unstressed, adult male rats. The infusion of caffeine (20 mg/kg) via a chronic, indwelling intra-atrial cannula results in a prompt and sustained (2-2.5 h) rise in plasma B-endorphin levels. The infusion of the opiate antagonist naloxone causes a modest (40%) decrease in plasma 8-endorphin and blunts the elevation in plasma ...

After a traumatic event, people often report using alcohol to relieve their symptoms of anxiety, irritability, and depression. Alcohol may relieve these symptoms because drinking compensates for deficiencies in endorphin activity following a traumatic experience. Within minutes of exposure to a traumatic event there is an increase in the level of endorphins in the brain. During the time of the ...

Peptide/protein hormones could be stored as non-toxic amyloid-like structures in pituitary secretory granules. ACTH and β-endorphin are two of the important peptide hormones that get co-stored in the pituitary secretory granules. Here, we study molecular interactions between ACTH and β-endorphin and their colocalization in the form of amyloid aggregates. Although ACTH is known to be a part of A...

Specific binding of human beta-endorphin to NG108-15 cells is described; human beta-[Tyr27-3H2] endorphin was used as the ligand. The binding is time dependent and saturable; Kd = 0.3 nM and ka = 1.8 x 10(8) M-1 min-1. Under the conditions optimal for beta-endorphin binding, leucine-enkephalin has one-fourth to one-third as many binding sites as beta-endorphin and its affinity is 7--10% that of...

The proteolytic processing pattern of pro-ACTH/endorphin in rat hypothalamus is similar to the pattern in the pars intermedia; peptides the size of beta-endorphin, gamma-lipotropin (gamma-LPH), corticotropin-like intermediate lobe peptide (CLIP), alpha-melanotropin (gamma-MSH), joining peptide, and glycosylated gamma 3-MSH all represent predominant end products. Equimolar amounts of beta-endorp...

Taylor, Derek V., James G. Boyajian, Norman James, Danette Woods, Aleksandra Chicz-Demet, Archie F. Wilson, and Curt A. Sandman. Acidosis stimulates P-endorphin release during exercise. J. Appl. Physiol. 77(4): 1913-1918, 1994.-Elevated blood levels of /3-endorphin have been associated with high-intensity exertion, but the stimulus for P-endorphin release is unknown. Some studies of exercise ha...

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between beta-endorphin and nitric oxide (NO) during the ovulatory process in rats. Immature rats were treated with equine chorionic gonadotrophin-hCG to induce ovulation. An intrabursal injection of beta-endorphin stimulated nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity. This effect was completely reversed when naltrexone was co-injected with bet...