Respiratory Distress and Beta-Endorphin-Like Immunoreactivity in Humans

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Abstract
.beta.-endorphin-like immunoreactivity was determined in the plasma of 20 patients suffering from hypoxia of various etiologies and in 20 healthy adult volunteers who served as controls. Mean .beta.-endorphin-like immunoreactivity in the hypoxic patients was 53.2 .+-. 5.5 (SEM) pg/ml, compared to the volunteer subjects in whom the mean level was 6.2 .+-. 1.9 pg/ml. Significant negative correlations were present between both arterial pH (r = -0.85; P < 0.01) and arterial PO2 (r = -0.80; P < 0.01) and .beta.-endorphin-like immunoreactivity. The findings suggest that hypoxia and acidosis represent stressful conditions which may stimulate the release of .beta.-endorphin in humans.