Normal and abnormal regulation of β-MSH in man

The Nature of the Immunoreactive Lipotropins in Human Plasma and Tissue Extracts

“…Early studies (21) indicated that the pigmentary factor in human plasma was different from ACTH, but Abe et al (1), using an aMSH RIA, showed that aMSH accounted for little if any of the biologic MSH activity of human plasma and tissues. However, using an h,3MSH RIA, the same workers concluded that "most of the biologic MSH activity of the plasma and tissues could be accounted for by 18-MSH" (2) and, thus, that "all of the available data support the view that ,B-MSH is the principal melanocyte-stimulating factor in human plasma" (3). The more recent studies of Scott and Lowry (5) (28).…”

“…under a 12% CO2 atmosphere. After 2 wk of culture, during which the medium was replaced every [2][3][4] days, the medium was aspirated, the adherent cells were washed several times with 10-20 ml of fresh medium, and 25 ml of fresh medium was added. After an additional 3 days of' incubation, the medium was aspirated, centrifuged at 6,000 g for 15 min at 4°C, and the supernate was carefully decanted and stored at -70°C.…”

“…The radioimmunoassay (RIA)' studies of Abe et al (1)(2)(3) appeared to establish that the 22 polypeptide, human 3-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (h,fMSH) (4) was the principal pigmentary hormone in man. However, Scott and Lowry (5) and Bloomfield et al (6) reinvestigated the nature of immunoreactive (IR) h,JMSH and were unable to demonstrate a molecule of this size in extracts of normal human pituitary or in unextracted plasma from two patients with pituitary tumors and progressive hyperpigmentation after total bilateral adrenalectomy for Cushing's disease (Nelson's syndrome).…”

Proopiomelanocortin, a polypeptide precursor with multiple functions: from physiology to pathological conditions

“…Later, the same biochemical studies showed that labelled amino acids incorporated into the HMW ACTH precursor were immunoprecipitated by anti-ACTH but also by anti-bLPH and antibendorphin (bend) antibodies (5). Thus the precursor to ACTH also seemed to contain LPH sequences as well, an explanation for the previous observations reporting strictly parallel variations of ACTH and LPH plasma concentrations in a variety of pathological conditions (6).…”

Acth and MSH Assays and Their Clinical Application

“…Post-adrenalectomy hyperpigmentation in Cushing's disease is undoubtedly predominantly due to P-MSH oversecretion (Abe et al, 1967b(Abe et al, , 1969 and plasma MSH assay in these patients during treatment would be of interest. However, when unavailable, plasma ACTH assays reflect the clinical situation satisfactorily.…”