title: Opioid peptide profile in human pituitary.
abstract: The comprehensive metabolic profile of endogenous opioid peptides is established here for human pituitary for the first time. Sixteen human pituitaries, obtained postmortem, were analyzed individually by gradient reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography together with a radio-receptor assay with [3H]etorphine as ligand. This combination was used to detect opioid receptor activity. The 16 assay profiles were sufficiently consistent for a composite of them to serve as a comparative basis for other studies on the pathophysiology of the human pituitary. To demonstrate one selected comparison, we present data on a distinctively different profile of opioid receptor activity in the pituitary of one patient who died from a drug overdose.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Tennessee, Memphis 38163.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Desiderio
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Fridland
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Francisco
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sacks
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Cezayirli
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Killmar
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lahren
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004723:Endorphins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005048:Etorphine / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009019:Morphinans / Q000378:metabolism*; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000378:metabolism*; D011041:Poisoning / Q000378:metabolism; D011869:Radioligand Assay; D011957:Receptors, Opioid / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004723:Endorphins; D009019:Morphinans; D011957:Receptors, Opioid; D005048:Etorphine