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)

This study was designed to examine the effects of aspirin, naloxone and placebo treatment on serum beta-endorphin concentration and joint pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Ten patients with definite or classical RA were studied. All treatments were administered in a randomized sequence. On each study day, the following measurements were carried out at specified time intervals: serum beta-endorphin concentration, serum salicylate concentration and joint pain score on a visual analogue horizontal scale. We conclude that in patients with rheumatoid arthritis suffering from chronic joint pain, serum beta-endorphin does not appear to play a role in pain relief.
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PMID:Effects of aspirin, naloxone and placebo. 296 94

Due to recent interest in the development of drug assay techniques, the pharmacokinetics of many analgesics have been defined. In addition, mechanisms of action of the commonly used analgesics have been partly delineated, and currently accepted analgesic regimens and usages are being questioned. By considering both the pharmacokinetics and the mechanism of action of each of these analgesics, it would appear that only a few of the currently available agents are needed for the treatment of acute and chronic pain. Newer agents with reduced toxicity have been introduced but have resulted in little expansion of novel ways to interfere with pain. The recent discovery of the beta-endorphin system, the reevaluation of older agents, and the development of new agents that work at pain pathways other than the classical sites hold out the promise of alternative means of control of certain types of pain. An agent that has analgesic efficacy equivalent to morphine but with reduced toxicity is especially exciting in the development of new analgesics. An agent that, in addition, does not lead to intolerable psychomimetic reactions but instead addresses multiple aspects of treating the fear, pain, and tension triad of pain will be beneficial in acute pain but will especially enhance the spectrum of the control of chronic pain such as cancer, neuralgia and arthralgia.
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PMID:Pharmacokinetics and mechanisms of action of analgesics in clinical pain. 611 74

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) age-related withdrawal is very likely to be involved in the aging process and the onset of age-related diseases, giving rise to the question of whether preventing or compensating the decline of these steroids may have endocrine and clinical benefits. The aim of the present trial was to evaluate the endocrine, neuroendocrine and clinical consequences of a long-term (1 year), low-dose (25 mg/day) replacement therapy in a group of aging men who presented the clinical characteristics of partial androgen deficiency (PADAM). Circulating DHEA, DHEAS, androstenedione, total testosterone and free testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, allopregnanolone, estrone, estradiol, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), cortisol, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels were evaluated monthly to assess the endocrine effects of the therapy, while beta-endorphin values were used as a marker of the neuroendocrine effects. A Kupperman questionnaire was performed to evaluate the subjective symptoms before and after treatment. The results showed a great modification of the endocrine profile; with the exception of cortisol levels, which remained unchanged, DHEA, DHEAS, androstenedione, total and free testosterone, DHT, progesterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, estrone, estradiol, GH, IGF-1 and beta-endorphin levels increased significantly with respect to baseline values, while FSH, LH and SHBG levels showed a significant decrease. The Kupperman score indicated a progressive improvement in mood, fatigue and joint pain. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that 25 mg/day of DHEA is able to cause significant changes in the hormonal profile and clinical symptoms and can counteract the age-related decline of endocrine and neuroendocrine functions. Restoring DHEA levels to young adult values seems to benefit the age-related decline in physiological functions but, however promising, placebo-controlled trials are required to confirm these preliminary results.
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PMID:Long-term low-dose dehydroepiandrosterone replacement therapy in aging males with partial androgen deficiency. 1567 38