title: Plasma immunoreactive beta-endorphin is elevated in uraemia.
abstract: Plasma immunoreactive-(IR) beta-endorphin (beta-EP) and beta-lipotrophin (beta-LPH) levels were measured in 15 adult uraemic patients on chronic haemodialysis. The presence of immunoreactivity eluting in the position of beta-EP was demonstrated following submission of pooled extracts of uraemic plasma to gel permeation chromatography on Sephadex G-50. To separate beta-EP from beta-LPH, pre-dialysis plasma extracts from six individual patients, and three pools of three patients each, were submitted to sequential immune-affinity chromatography and levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. In all cases, plasma IR beta-EP concentrations were markedly increased compared with normal subjects (m +/- SEM fmol/ml; 64.4 +/- 13.7 vs. 2.3 +/- 0.2). IR beta-LPH concentrations were also increased (m +/- SEM fmol/ml; 55.7 +/- 13.2 vs. normal 6.1 +/- 0.8). In addition, post-dialysis concentrations of plasma IR beta-EP and beta-LPH were lower than pre-dialysis levels (n = 4).
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity; D004723:Endorphins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D014511:Uremia / Q000097:blood*; D001615:beta-Endorphin; D008083:beta-Lipotropin / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D004723:Endorphins; D001615:beta-Endorphin; D008083:beta-Lipotropin