Circulating opioid peptides during water immersion in normal man.
1. This study was designed to evaluate variations in plasma beta-endorphin, methionine-enkephalin, adrenocorticotropic hormone and serum prolactin in healthy volunteers during head-out water immersion. 2. Water immersion induced an increase in methionine-enkephalin plasma levels, which was associated with a significant fall in mean arterial pressure and heart rate. 3. Conversely, a suppression of plasma beta-endorphin, adrenocorticotropic hormone and serum prolactin was detected during water immersion. 4. We suggest that a dopaminergic inhibitory control mechanism may be involved in regulating circulating levels of beta-endorphin, adrenocorticotropic hormone and prolactin in normal subjects undergoing extracellular fluid volume expansion produced by water immersion.
Coruzzi
P
P
Istituto di Semeiotica Medica, University of Parma, Italy.
Ravanetti
C
C
Musiari
L
L
Biggi
A
A
Vescovi
P P
PP
Novarini
A
A
D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood; D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure; D004723:Endorphins / Q000097:blood*; D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007101:Immersion / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood; D001615:beta-Endorphin / Q000097:blood
D004723:Endorphins; D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine; D001615:beta-Endorphin; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D011388:Prolactin