title: Effects of opioid peptides on the tumoricidal activity of spleen cells from nude mice with or without tumors.
abstract: The present study was designed to explore the effects of opioid peptides on the immune systems of intact nude mice and nude mice bearing human ovarian cancer cells (KF). When spleen cells from intact nude mice were incubated with medium alone, a significant ability of spleen cells to lyse the KF cells was not observed. However, incubation of the spleen cells with 1 microM beta-endorphin or 1 microM alpha-endorphin induced a significant lytic activity on the KF cells. The control-level lytic activity was increased significantly to about 4.5-fold by 1 microM beta-endorphin and about 3.7-fold by 10 microM met-enkephalin. These results suggest that opioid peptides play a crucial role in cellular immunity. Thus, we examined plasma levels of beta-endorphin in patients with ovarian or uterine carcinoma. The plasma beta-endorphin levels in patients with ovarian or uterine carcinoma were significantly higher (more than twofold) than those of age-matched healthy women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National Defense Medical College, Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kita
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oomori
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nagata
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000920:Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity / Q000187:drug effects; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004723:Endorphins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008819:Mice, Nude; D008875:Middle Aged; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000097:blood; D001615:beta-Endorphin / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D004723:Endorphins; D001615:beta-Endorphin