Beta‐endorphin, vasoactive intestinal peptide and cholecystokinin in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy subjects and from drug‐free and haloperidol‐treated schizophrenic patients

Abstract

Beta-endorphin, cholecystokinin and vasoactive intestinal peptide were measured in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of healthy controls, and schizophrenic patients at the first diagnosis before any treatment and after 2 or 15 d of treatment with haloperidol. Beta-endorphin concentrations were similar in controls and untreated patients, and increased with treatment. Cholecystokinin concentrations were higher in patients than in controls, and decreased during treatment. Vasoactive intestinal peptide was lower in patients and did not change with treatment. These observations are consistent with measurements of the same peptides in autopsy samples or cerebrospinal fluid. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells might be an useful tool for the study of some neuropeptides in brain.

β-Endorphin Concentration in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Elderly Depressed Patients – Effects of Phosphatidylserine Therapy

“…If the opioid secretion of the PBMC compartment reflects that of the CNS. as re peatedly reported [9][10][11], our data and those of Panerai et al [21] would suggest that there is no central impairment of opioid secretion in depressed patients, young or elderly, and obviously casts doubt on the involvement of altered opioid function in the pathogenesis of the disorder.…”

“…CSF data are not easy to obtain repeatedly for ethical reasons. That is why we chose to measure P-EP concentrations of elderly patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), a compartment which has been suggested to reflect cerebral secretion and regula tory modulation of several neurotransmitters, neuropep tides and hormones including (3-EP [9][10][11]. were measured in resting conditions and then 30 min after stimulation with CRH to see whether or not the sys tem in MDD is able to respond correctly to stimuli.…”

Pain sensitivity is altered in animals after subchronic ketamine treatment

“…Opioids have frequently been suggested as being involved in the pathophysiology of psychiatric diseases. In schizophrenic patients, elevated levels of betaendorphin and an instability of its secretion were detected (Brambilla et al 1987;Davis et al 1982;Gil-Ad et al 1986;Panza et al 1992;Pickar et al 1982;Wolkowitz et al 1986). This parallel might underline the importance of the set of experiments presented in shedding light on altered pain sensitivity in schizophrenia.…”

β-Endorphin and Cholecystokinin 8 Concentrations in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Autistic Children

“…If confirmed, it would suggest that the alteration may possi bly be an expression of the pathogenetic process specifi cally underlying autism. With our protocol we cannot state that the greater than normal concentrations of P-EP in PBMC of our AU patients actually mimic the levels of the opioid in the CNS, although the concentrations of the peptide in the CNs and in PBMC have repeatedly been reported as parallel in experimental animals and humans [26][27][28]. Moreover, the hypothesis that P-EP levels in our AU patients might be elevated not only in PBMC but also in the CNS is also supported by the observations of Gillberg et al [18] and of Ross et al [19] of greater than nor mal levels of opioids (both P-EP and metenkephalin) in the cerebrospinal fluid of their AU children.…”

“…In this peripheral com partment, secretion and regulation of many ncurohormones, including opioids, have been suggested to mimic those of cerebral neurons, and their measurement may provide an easy and relatively noninvasive tool for inves tigation of opioid function [26][27][28], In the same patients, we also measured PBMC concentrations of cholecystokinin 8 (CCK-8), since CCK has been reported to be interre lated with the central dopaminergic function and since a dopaminergic pathology has been suggested in autism [29][30][31][32][33][34][35],…”