Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P01189 (beta-endorphin)
 21,003 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Rats were treated with amphetamine to induce an amphetamine psychosis which resembles paranoid schizophrenia. Brain catecholamines, brain beta-endorphin, serum prolactin as well as catechol-O-methyltransferase and monoamine oxidase were subsequently measured. The norepinephrine levels were significantly lower in brain regions of rats treated with amphetamine whereas levels of dopamine and beta-endorphin remained the same. No significant changes were found in the levels of catechol-O-methyltransferase, monoamine oxidase and serum prolactin. In view of recent findings by other investigators in this field, our results suggest an important role of the adrenergic system in the pathogenesis of amphetamine psychosis.
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PMID:Effect of amphetamine on brain catecholamines, brain beta-endorphin, serum prolactin, catechol-O-methyltransferase and monoamine oxidase of various organs in the rat. 293 51

Baseline plasma levels of beta-endorphin, beta-lipotropin, and ACTH were assayed in 37 patients with chronic schizophrenia: 24 men and 13 women, 28 with hebephrenic and nine with paranoid schizophrenia. None of the patients had received any medication for at least 10 days. The mean values of both opioids were significantly higher in the schizophrenic patients than in 21 age- and sex-matched control subjects. Insulin stimulation and dexamethasone suppression tests were given to eight of the patients, and the circadian rhythms of beta-endorphin, beta-lipotropin, ACTH, and cortisol were assayed in the same eight patients. Insulin stimulation, dexamethasone suppression test results, or circadian rhythmicity was impaired in seven of these eight patients.
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PMID:Secretion pattern of endogenous opioids in chronic schizophrenia. 609 63

Dynamic testing of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in schizophrenia has yielded conflicting results, which may be related to patient selection and previous exposure to psychotropic medication. The objective of this study was to determine the pattern of corticotropin (ACTH) and cortisol release in response to metoclopramide (a dopamine antagonist), which appears to be unique in its ability to release vasopressin (AVP), in drug naive patients with schizophrenia experiencing their first episode of psychosis. In this study, we examined AVP, ACTH and cortisol release in response to metoclopramide in 10 drug-naive, first-episode male patients with a DSM IV diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia and compared them to healthy control subjects matched for age, sex and smoking status. Patients, as compared to controls had higher levels of baseline plasma cortisol (375.5+/-47.4/l vs. 273.8+/-42.2 nmol/l, respectively; t=2.48, df=9, p< 0.02) and plasma ACTH (14.9+/-0.85 vs. 11.3+/-0.57 pg/ml, respectively; t=4.29, df=9, p<0.001). AVP levels were lower in patients though this did not reach statistical significance (0.89+/-0.09 vs. 1.3+/-0.08 pmol/l, respectively; t=1.97, df=9, p<0.07). A repeated measures 2-way ANOVA to compare responses to metoclopramide over time between the two groups yielded a significant group by time interaction for cortisol (F=11.3, df=6, 108, p<0.001) and ACTH (F=15.65, df=6, 108, p<0.002). Post hoc Tukey's test revealed significant differences between the two groups at +30, +45, +60, +90 and +120 min for cortisol (p<0.01) and at +30, +45, +60 and +90 min for ACTH (p<0.01). The group by time interactions continued to remain significant when cortisol (F=10.9, df=6, 107, p<0.001) and ACTH (F=13.04, df=6, 108, p<0.002) were entered as co-variates. There was a significant positive correlation between AVP and cortisol responses in patients (r=0.65, df=8, p<0.01). Male patients with paranoid schizophrenia release greater amounts of ACTH and cortisol in responses to metoclopramide-induced AVP secretion than control subjects.
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PMID:Male patients with paranoid schizophrenia have greater ACTH and cortisol secretion in response to metoclopramide-induced AVP release. 1572 Oct 55