Summary
Administration of synthetic human corticotropin-releasing factor (hCRF; 2 µg/kg body weight) to six normal male subjects produced a significant rise in plasma ACTH, followed by an increase in circulating cortisol. Simultaneous treatment with the opioid antagonist naloxone (1.6 mg i.v. bolus, followed by an infusion at a rate of 1.2 mg/h) significantly potentiated the hCRF-induced rise in ACTH and enhanced the cortisol response to hCRF. It is suggested that naloxone acts by antagonizing an inhibitory ultra-short-loop feedback effect of coreleased β-endorphin on pituitary corticotrophs, thereby amplifying the net effect of hCRF, i.e., the release of ACTH.
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Abbreviations
- ACTH:
-
adrenocorticotropic hormone
- CRF:
-
corticotropin-releasing factor
- hCRF:
-
human CRF
- oCRF:
-
ovine CRF
- EKG:
-
electrocardiogram
- POMC:
-
proopiomelanocortin
- RIA:
-
radioimmunoassay
- S.E.M.:
-
standard error of the mean
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This study was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Go 299/3-2; Mu 585/2-2)
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Ehrenreich, H., Kolmar, C., Müller, O.A. et al. Potentiation of the hCRF-induced release of ACTH in man by an opioid antagonist. Klin Wochenschr 65, 453–457 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01712837
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01712837