Author:
Harbour-McMenamin D,Smith E M,Blalock J E
Abstract
Previous reports have shown that there is an endogenous opioid component associated with pathophysiological responses to endotoxin. It has been shown that these responses are alleviated by naloxone, a specific opiate antagonist. Results of another study have indicated that leukocytes may mediate some of those responses since leukocyte depletion alleviated the effects of lipopolysaccharide. In view of the above reports as well as the finding that leukocytes produce immunoreactive (ir-) endorphins and corticotropin (ACTH) when stimulated with Newcastle disease virus or ACTH-releasing factor, we postulated that leukocytes may serve as an extrapituitary source of endorphins produced in response to bacterial endotoxin. To test this hypothesis, human peripheral blood leukocytes as well as mouse spleen cells were cultured in vitro with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide for 48 h. The lipopolysaccharide (i.e., endotoxin) was shown to induce de novo synthesis of ir-ACTH and ir-endorphins. The leukocyte-derived ir-ACTH had a molecular weight of approximately 2,900 and demonstrated a bioactivity similar to that of pituitary-derived ACTH. The lymphocyte-derived ir-endorphin comigrated with alpha- and gamma-endorphin at approximately 1,800 daltons and was shown to bind to brain opiate receptors. These findings imply that leukocyte-derived endorphins may be involved in the pathophysiological response to endotoxin.
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Subject
Infectious Diseases,Immunology,Microbiology,Parasitology
Reference23 articles.
1. The immune system as a sensory organ;Blalock J. E.;J. Immunol.,1984
2. Human leukocyte IFN (HuIFN-a): potent endorphin-like opioid activity;Blalock J. E.;Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.,1981
3. Pulmonary vascular response to endotoxin in normal and Iymphocyte depleted sheep;Bohs C. T.;Circ. Shock,1979
4. Isolation of leukocytes from human blood;Boyum A.;Scand. J. Clin. Lab. Invest. Suppi.,1968
5. Endotoxinstimulated opioid peptide secretion: two secretory pools and feedback control in vivo;Carr D. B.;Science,1982
Cited by
124 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献