title: Endogenous opioid peptides and mental stress in congestive heart failure patients.
abstract: Two groups of patients with acute congestive heart failure (CHF), New York Heart Association class III, presenting elevated plasma values of beta-endorphin, norepinephrine, atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) and endothelin-1, underwent the Mental Arithmetic Test (MAT) during placebo (n = 10) and naloxone hydrochloride (n = 10) infusion. The MAT during placebo significantly (p < 0.01) increased blood pressure, heart rate, plasma levels of Met-enkephalin, dynorphin B, beta-endorphin, norepinephrine, ANF and endothelin-1. The increases in norepinephrine, ANF and hemodynamics after the MAT during naloxone infusion were higher (p < 0.01) than those during placebo; thus, the transient upregulation of the endogenous opioid system during stress in CHF patients attenuates the hemodynamic response by reducing norepinephrine release.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Cardioangiologia, Epatologia, Ospedale S. Orsola, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fontana
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bernardi
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Pich
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boschi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Iasio
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Spampinato
mesh_terms: D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor / Q000097:blood; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D019332:Endothelin-1 / Q000097:blood; D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009270:Naloxone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood; D018847:Opioid Peptides / Q000097:blood*; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001615:beta-Endorphin / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D019332:Endothelin-1; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D018847:Opioid Peptides; D009270:Naloxone; D004744:Enkephalin, Methionine; D001615:beta-Endorphin; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor; D009638:Norepinephrine