beta-endorphin and Acquired-Immunodeficiency-Syndrome

Topics: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; beta-Endorphin; Cells, Cultured; Heroin; HIV-1; Humans; Interferon-gamma; Leukocytes, Mononuclear; Methadone; Morphine; Respiratory Burst; Substance Abuse, Intravenous; T-Lymphocytes; Virus Replication

Topics: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; beta-Endorphin; Demography; Environment; Health Services Needs and Demand; Hepatitis C; Hispanic or Latino; HIV Infections; Humans; Research; Substance-Related Disorders

To examine the relation of circulating appetite neuropeptides, CCK-8 sulphate (CCK-8s) and beta-endorphin, and the tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and soluble TNF receptors (sTNFR) to the anorexia and wasting associated with HIV-infection.. Cross-sectional analysis.. A university-based HIV/AIDS ambulatory clinic in Madrid, Spain.. Thirty-six randomly selected AIDS patients without concomitant diseases or secondary infections were classified into two groups: 19 patients with wasting and 17 with normal body weight, and 18 healthy controls.. Nutritional status was evaluated by anthropometry, laboratory parameters and self-report of appetite. Plasma levels of TNF-alpha and sTNFR proteins p55 (sTNFR-p55) and p75 (sTNFR-p75) were determined by enzyme immunoassay, whereas CCK-8s and beta-endorphin levels were measured by radioimmunoassay.. AIDS patients with wasting had significantly higher plasma concentrations of CCK-8s, but lower levels of beta-endorphin when compared to well-nourished AIDS patients (P < 0.01) or controls (P < 0.001). Mean levels of TNF-alpha, and sTNFR-p55 and sTNFR-p75 were greater in AIDS patients with wasting than in asymptomatic AIDS patients or in controls. No significant association was observed between any of these circulating peptides and the parameters of malnutrition.. An activation of the TNF system, together with reciprocal changes in plasma concentrations of two neuropeptides with opposing appetite regulation, that is increased concentrations of CCK-8s but lower levels of beta-endorphin, are associated with the presence of HIV wasting. We hypothesize that these changes may contribute to the development of HIV wasting by producing a pathological inhibition of appetite.

Topics: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Adult; Appetite; beta-Endorphin; Case-Control Studies; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; HIV Wasting Syndrome; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Nutritional Status; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; Sincalide; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

To examine the potential role of stress hormones in the progression of HIV infections, we developed an in vitro model system that investigates the effects of cortisol, adrenocorticotropin-releasing hormone (ACTH) and beta-endorphin on the natural killer cell activity of lymphocytes from normal subjects and AIDS patients. The system employs a 4 hr 51Cr release assay and K562 target cells. Direct addition of cortisol (0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 microgram/ml) or ACTH (10(-6) to 10(-8) M) to the mixture of effector and prelabeled target cells did not produce any significant immunoregulatory effects on the NK cell activity of normal lymphocytes. Direct addition of beta-endorphin (10(-13) to 10(-17) M) to the mixture of effector and prelabeled target cells did not produce any significant immunoregulatory effects on the NK cell activity of lymphocytes from normal or AIDS subjects. However, cortisol and ACTH significantly inhibited the NK activity of lymphocytes from AIDS patients. The selective inhibitory effects of cortisol and ACTH in patients with HIV infections are consistent with a model which proposes that stress related neurohormones and/or neuropeptides may be involved in the progression of HIV infections.

Topics: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Adult; beta-Endorphin; Cells, Cultured; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Immunosuppressive Agents; Killer Cells, Natural; Lymphocytes; Male; Neuroimmunomodulation; Stress, Physiological; Tumor Cells, Cultured

Alterations in the circadian time structure of the secretion of several hormones were investigated in 13 male patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Seven were asymptomatic (classified CDC II, according to the criteria of the Atlanta Centers for Disease Control), and 6 had acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (CDC IV). Ten healthy males volunteered as controls. Plasma levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfate (DHEA-S), cortisol, testosterone, ACTH, and beta-endorphin were determined by RIA in blood samples obtained every 4 h from 0830-0830 h the next morning. Data were analyzed both by two-way analysis of variance and the cosinor method. Circadian rhythms were statistically validated for each of the six hormones in each of the three groups of subjects. Compared with the control subjects, mesors (24-h adjusted means) were significantly higher for cortisol and lower for DHEA, DHEA-S, and ACTH (P less than 0.001 for all four hormones) in all HIV-infected patients. Plasma testosterone mesors were similar in controls and CDC II patients, but decreased significantly in the CDC IV patient group (P less than 0.05). Analysis of the circadian rhythms of plasma hormone levels clearly indicated an altered adrenal hormonal state in HIV-infected male patients, even during the asymptomatic period of the infection. For instance, plasma cortisol at 0430 h was more than twice as high in HIV-infected patients as it was in time-qualified controls. Although patients already had elevated plasma cortisol and lowered adrenal androgen levels at this stage, hypogonadism was not observed, as gauged by plasma testosterone concentrations. We speculate that the primary hormonal defect in HIV-infected patients is increased cortisol secretion resulting from circadian-varying stimulation of the adrenal cortex by a factor other than pituitary ACTH. This factor might be a stimulating substance secreted primarily by infected immune cells. Excess cortisol would lower adrenal androgen secretion by shifting adrenal steroid biosynthesis toward glucocorticoids and decreasing pituitary ACTH secretion via a negative feedback mechanism.

Topics: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Adult; beta-Endorphin; Circadian Rhythm; Dehydroepiandrosterone; Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate; HIV Seropositivity; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Male; Pituitary Hormones; Testicular Hormones; Testosterone