This article contains structure and pharmacological characteristics of melanocortin receptors (MCRs) related to research published in "Characterization of melanocortin receptors from stingray Dasyatis akajei, a cartilaginous fish" (Takahashi et al., 2016) [1]. The amino acid sequences of the stingray, D. akajei, MC1R, MC2R, MC3R, MC4R, and MC5R were aligned with the corresponding melanocortin r...

BACKGROUND Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis has great potential to advance understanding of delirium pathophysiology. METHODS A systematic literature review of CSF studies of DSM or ICD delirium was performed. RESULTS In 8 studies of 235 patients, delirium was associated with: elevated serotonin metabolites, interleukin-8, cortisol, lactate and protein, and reduced somatostatin, β-endorph...

The in vivo pharmacodynamics of the opioid neuropeptide beta-endorphin (a major endogenous agonist at the mu-opioid receptor) is difficult to determine in non-human primate models with translational value, or in humans. The present studies therefore employed a neuroendocrine biomarker assay, prolactin release, to systematically compare the in vivo profile of i.v. beta-endorphin (0.01-0.32 mg/kg...

The kinetics of the previously reported paired basic residue-specific pro-opiomelanocortin-converting enzyme from bovine pituitary intermediate lobe secretory vesicles (Loh, Y. P., Parish, D.C., and Tuteja, R. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 7194-7205) were studied using human 125I-beta-lipotropin as substrate. The enzyme, at a concentration of 20 ng/100 microliters cleaved human beta-lipotropin to ...

The hypothesis that the naturally occurring analgesic peptide, â-endorphin, is released in the brain in response to pain had never been directly validated. In this study, we applied a brain microdialysis method for monitoring â-endorphin release in vivo, to test this hypothesis in the brains of conscious, freely moving rats. Herein we first show that endogenous â-endorphin can be measured in vi...

In previous reports modest levels of beta-endorphin have been found by radioimmunoassay in rat testis, and localized by immunofluorescence to the interstitial cells. We have confirmed these previous reports and extended them by showing that the majority of testicular endorphins are acetylated forms, N-acetyl gamma-endorphin, N-acetyl alpha-endorphin, and N-acetyl beta-endorphin1-27. In addition...

The total content and extent of processing of the gamma 3MSH and beta-endorphin-containing N- and C-terminal domains of proopiomelanocortin were determined in the anterior and intermediate lobes of the pituitaries and in 11 regions of the brains of three Rhesus monkeys. Most immunoreactive gamma 3MSH and beta-endorphin was located in the pituitary lobes, although significant amounts were also f...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Abnormalities of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis function have been observed frequently in stroke patients. The aim of this study was to investigate plasma beta-endorphin and cortisol 24-hour secretory patterns in patients early after stroke and in the convalescent period to evaluate a possible influence of brain damage on hormonal circadian pattern. METHODS P...

This study aims to evaluate the effects of plasma beta endorphin level and exercise on migrainous headache. Forty patients with migrainous headache without aura (MWOA), firstly exercised on a treadmill and afterwards were asked to continue an aerobic home exercise program for six weeks. On evaluation, basal plasma beta endorphin level was negatively correlated with total duration of attacks in ...

Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid 0-endorphin concentrations were radioimmunologically assayed in dogs subjected to spinal cord ischemia induced by infrarenal aortic ligature and in control sham-operated dogs. Plasma /3-endorphin levels rose significantly following surgery in control dogs but were unaffected by spinal ischemia. On the other hand, a significant increase in cerebrospinal fluid /3-en...