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)

To investigate the dynamic relationships among corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), beta-endorphin (beta EP), cortisol and obstetric events during pregnancy, blood samples were collected from 193 women at 28 weeks, 38 weeks, during labour and on the second postnatal day. Cord blood at delivery was also obtained. We found that: (1) Maternal plasma CRH, beta EP and cortisol rose from 28 to 38 weeks. (2) During the third trimester maternal plasma CRH and beta EP were correlated (r = 0.30, p < 0.001). (3) During labour, no correlations were found among maternal plasma CRH, beta EP and cortisol. (4) Maternal CRH at labour and the duration of labour were not correlated. (5) Maternal plasma CRH tended to be higher in women who delivered early (more than seven days prior to estimated date of confinement [EDC]) relative to those who were on time (within seven days' EDC) or late (greater than seven days after EDC). (6) CRH in maternal plasma at labour and cord blood were correlated (r = 0.29, p < 0.05) as were maternal and fetal beta EP (r = 0.43, p < 0.001). (7) Fetal obstetric difficulty was correlated with fetal beta EP (r = 0.54, p < 0.001). Our findings support the hypothesis that maternal plasma CRH regulates maternal beta EP during the third trimester, but other factors are involved during labour and in response to maternal obstetric stress.
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PMID:Plasma corticotropin-releasing hormone, beta-endorphin and cortisol inter-relationships during human pregnancy. 849 52

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) from the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of hypothalamus has important roles in regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and stress-related behaviors during chronic stress. It is unknown, however, whether AVP in the PVN is involved in the modulation of HPA activity after chronic cocaine exposure. Here, we examined the gene expression alterations of AVP in the hypothalamus, and V1b receptor and pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) in the anterior pituitary, as well as HPA hormonal changes, in Fischer rats after chronic cocaine and withdrawal, using two different chronic (14-day) 'binge' pattern administration regimens: steady-dose cocaine (SDC, 45 mg/kg/day) and escalating-dose cocaine (EDC, 45 up to 90 mg/kg/day). There was a significant (7-fold) plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) elevation after chronic EDC (but not SDC), coupled with increased V1b and POMC mRNA levels in the anterior pituitary. From acute (1-day) to protracted (14-day) withdrawal from chronic EDC (but not from SDC), we found persistent elevations of both plasma ACTH and corticosterone levels and AVP mRNA levels in the PVN. Selective V1b antagonist SSR149415 (5 mg/kg) attenuated acute withdrawal-induced HPA activation after EDC. To study potential roles of endogenous opioids in modulating the AVP gene, we administered naloxone (1 mg/kg); we found that opioid receptor antagonism increased AVP mRNA levels in cocaine-naive rats, but not in cocaine-withdrawn rats, suggesting less tonic opioid inhibition of PVN AVP neurons after chronic EDC. To assess the effects of cocaine withdrawal on sub-populations of PVN AVP neurons, we utilized AVP-enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) promoter transgenic mice and found that acute withdrawal following chronic EDC increased the number of AVP-EGFP neurons in the parvocellular PVN (pPVN). These results suggest that during protracted withdrawal, enhanced pPVN AVP gene expression is associated with persistent elevations of basal HPA activity; a hyposensitivity of PVN AVP gene expression to naloxone is indicative of reduced opioidergic tone. Our studies indicate that the AVP and its V1b receptor system may be a potential therapeutic target for treating anxiety and depressive symptoms associated with cocaine addiction.
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PMID:Persistent increase in hypothalamic arginine vasopressin gene expression during protracted withdrawal from chronic escalating-dose cocaine in rodents. 2167 51