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Research Article Free access | 10.1172/JCI109991

Immunoreactive β-Endorphin and Adrenocorticotropin in Human Cerebrospinal Fluid

Kazuwa Nakao, Shogo Oki, Issey Tanaka, Kazuko Horii, Yoshikatsu Nakai, Tomoo Furui, Masanori Fukushima, Akio Kuwayama, Naoki Kageyama, and Hiroo Imura

Second Division, Department of Medicine, Kyoto University, School of Medicine, Kyoto 606, Japan

Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University, School of Medicine, Nagoya 466, Japan

Department of Internal Medicine, Aichi Cancer Center, Nagoya 464, Japan

Find articles by Nakao, K. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Second Division, Department of Medicine, Kyoto University, School of Medicine, Kyoto 606, Japan

Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University, School of Medicine, Nagoya 466, Japan

Department of Internal Medicine, Aichi Cancer Center, Nagoya 464, Japan

Find articles by Oki, S. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Second Division, Department of Medicine, Kyoto University, School of Medicine, Kyoto 606, Japan

Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University, School of Medicine, Nagoya 466, Japan

Department of Internal Medicine, Aichi Cancer Center, Nagoya 464, Japan

Find articles by Tanaka, I. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Second Division, Department of Medicine, Kyoto University, School of Medicine, Kyoto 606, Japan

Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University, School of Medicine, Nagoya 466, Japan

Department of Internal Medicine, Aichi Cancer Center, Nagoya 464, Japan

Find articles by Horii, K. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Second Division, Department of Medicine, Kyoto University, School of Medicine, Kyoto 606, Japan

Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University, School of Medicine, Nagoya 466, Japan

Department of Internal Medicine, Aichi Cancer Center, Nagoya 464, Japan

Find articles by Nakai, Y. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Second Division, Department of Medicine, Kyoto University, School of Medicine, Kyoto 606, Japan

Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University, School of Medicine, Nagoya 466, Japan

Department of Internal Medicine, Aichi Cancer Center, Nagoya 464, Japan

Find articles by Furui, T. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Second Division, Department of Medicine, Kyoto University, School of Medicine, Kyoto 606, Japan

Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University, School of Medicine, Nagoya 466, Japan

Department of Internal Medicine, Aichi Cancer Center, Nagoya 464, Japan

Find articles by Fukushima, M. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Second Division, Department of Medicine, Kyoto University, School of Medicine, Kyoto 606, Japan

Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University, School of Medicine, Nagoya 466, Japan

Department of Internal Medicine, Aichi Cancer Center, Nagoya 464, Japan

Find articles by Kuwayama, A. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Second Division, Department of Medicine, Kyoto University, School of Medicine, Kyoto 606, Japan

Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University, School of Medicine, Nagoya 466, Japan

Department of Internal Medicine, Aichi Cancer Center, Nagoya 464, Japan

Find articles by Kageyama, N. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Second Division, Department of Medicine, Kyoto University, School of Medicine, Kyoto 606, Japan

Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya University, School of Medicine, Nagoya 466, Japan

Department of Internal Medicine, Aichi Cancer Center, Nagoya 464, Japan

Find articles by Imura, H. in: PubMed | Google Scholar

Published December 1, 1980 - More info

Published in Volume 66, Issue 6 on December 1, 1980
J Clin Invest. 1980;66(6):1383–1390. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI109991.
© 1980 The American Society for Clinical Investigation
Published December 1, 1980 - Version history
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Abstract

To elucidate the significance of β-endorphin in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), CSF levels of β-endorphin-like immunoreactivity (β-EP-LI) in various diseases were determined by a specific radioimmunoassay and compared with simultaneously determined ACTH-like immunoreactivity (ACTH-LI) levels in CSF. CSF β-EP-LI and ACTH-LI in the control group, consisting of 5 normal subjects and 19 patients with nonendocrine diseases, were 22.2±1.3 and 14.6±0.4 fmol/ml, respectively. CSF levels of these peptides in patients with schizophrenia (n = 19) and acromegaly (n = 10) were not significantly different from those in the control group. Patients with Cushing's disease (n = 7) had significantly lower CSF β-EP-LI and ACTH-LI levels than those in the control group. Four of them showed a parallel increase in CSF β-EP-LI and CSF ACTH-LI levels after the complete removal of pituitary microadenomas (P < 0.05).

Gel chromatography of CSF β-EP-LI from a normal volunteer, a control patient, and one patient each with catatonia, Nelson's syndrome, Cushing's syndrome (adrenal adenoma), and acromegaly gave similar patterns consisting of three peaks with the elution positions comparable to those of authentic β-endorphin, β-lipotropin, and possibly their precursor molecule.

Gel chromatographic patterns of CSF β-EP-LI and ACTH-LI were compared in a normal volunteer. The first peaks of β-EP-LI and ACTH-LI eluted at the same position and the second peak of ACTH-LI coincided with the elution position of authentic ACTH.

CSF β-EP-LI and ACTH-LI levels determined every 5 min over a period of 80 min in three normal volunteers did not show moment-to-moment variability.

A significant correlation (r = 0.75, P < 0.001) was seen between CSF β-EP-LI and ACTH-LI levels in normal subjects and patients studied (n = 73). This suggests that β-endorphin and ACTH in human CSF share the common regulatory mechanism in normal and pathologic conditions.

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