Plasma concentrations of beta-endorphin, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and cortisol in drinking and abstinent chronic alcoholics

Alcohol
J L Del ArbolM T Miranda

Abstract

Previous studies of the relationship between the endogenous opioid system and alcohol consumption have reported contradictory results. To shed light on this connection, we compared plasma concentrations of beta-endorphin, adrenocorticotropic hormone, and cortisol in 70 alcoholic persons after different periods of abstinence and a group of 80 control subjects. Plasma beta-endorphin was decreased in alcoholics (18.61 +/- 1.38 vs. 39.31 +/- 3.44 pg/ml), even after more than 10 years' abstinence. This effect may mediated by the tetrahydroisoquinoline system, and may thus result from chronic alcohol consumption. On the other hand, lowered circulating concentrations of beta-endorphin may be a cause, rather than an effect, of alcoholism. Plasma levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol did not differ in alcoholics and controls (19.29 +/- 1.66 vs. 13.27 +/- 1.85 pg/ml for ACTH, 20.37 +/- 0.78 vs. 17.22 +/- 0.64 ng/ml for cortisol), and thus appear to have no relation with chronic alcohol consumption.

Citations

Nov 25, 2003·Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research·Peter RosenbergerClaudia D Spies
Dec 31, 2005·Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research·Jennifer M MitchellCharlotte A Boettiger
Sep 25, 2003·Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research·Bryon AdinoffMark J Williams
Sep 1, 2007·Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research·Yu ZhaoEric P Zorrilla
Apr 1, 2001·Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine·S Fukuda, K Morimoto
Oct 19, 2006·Neuropsychopharmacology : Official Publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology·Jennifer M MitchellCharlotte A Boettiger
Mar 9, 2005·Peptides·Jadwiga Zalewska-Kaszubska, Elzbieta Czarnecka

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