PLASMA IMMUNOREACTIVE β‐ENDORPHIN IS ELEVATED IN URAEMIA

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Abstract
Plasma immunoreactive‐(IR) β‐endorphin (β‐EP) and β‐lipotrophin (β‐LPH) levels were measured in 15 adult uraemic patients on chronic haemodialysis. The presence of immunoreactivity eluting in the position of β‐EP was demonstrated following submission of pooled extracts of uraemic plasma to gel permeation chromatography on Sephadex G‐50. To separate β‐EP from β‐LPH, pre‐dialysis plasma extracts from six individual patients, and three pools of three patients each, were submitted to sequential immune‐affinity chromatography and levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. In all cases, plasma IR β‐EP concentrations were markedly increased compared with normal subjects (m± SEM fmol/ml; 64·4 ± 13·7 vs. 2·3 ± 0·2). IR β‐LPH concentrations were also increased (m± SEM fmol/ml; 55·7 ± 13·2 vs. normal 6·1 ± 0·8). In addition, post‐dialysis concentrations of plasma IR β‐EP and β‐LPH were lower than pre‐dialysis levels (n= 4).