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. 1986 Jan;1(1):98-103.
doi: 10.3904/kjim.1986.1.1.98.

Effect of beta-endorphin and cortisol on the PHA stimulated lymphoblastogenesis

I M Yang, H J Yoon, K S Cho, K W Kim, S W Kim, Y K Choi

Effect of beta-endorphin and cortisol on the PHA stimulated lymphoblastogenesis

I M Yang et al. Korean J Intern Med. 1986 Jan.

Abstract

The mechanism of immune suppression in a severely stressful condition is not known. Since the demonstration of β-endorphin receptor on the surface of the circulating lymphocyte, it was reported that β-endorphin could suppress PHA stimulated lymphoblastogenesis. Because the concentration of β-endorphin was supraphysiologically high, it is doubtful that β-endorphin can suppress the lymphoblastogenesis directly in vivo. We investigated the suppression of PHA stimulated lymphoblastogenesis by β-endorphin in vitro and the effect of β-endorphin in some conditions where β-endorphin increases in vivo.

PHA induced lymphoblastogenesis of T lymphocyte was maximal at the concentration of 5 μg/ml. β-endorphin could not suppress the blastogenesis even at the highest concentration. In the five healthy men who received metyrapone the previous night, PHA stimulated blastogeneses were not significantly suppressed. In a patient with Nelson’s syndrome, the lymphoblastogenesis was suppressed at all concentrations of PHA.

Cortisol significant suppressed the blastogenesis even at the concentration of 10 μg/dl and its suppressive effect was shown in dose dependant manner.

Our results suggested that β-endorphin could not suppress the lymphoblastogenesis directly in vivo.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
The effect of β-endorphin on PHA stimulated blastogenesis of normal human T lymphocytes.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
The percentage suppression of PHA stimulated blastogenesis of normal human T lymphocytes by β-endorphin.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
The PHA stimulated blastogensis of T lymphocytes in normal subjects stimulated with metyrapone.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
The percentage suppression of the PHA stimulated blastogenesis of T lymphocytes in normal subjects stimulated with metryrapone.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.
The suppression of PHA stimulated blastogenesis of T lymphocytes in a patient with Nelson’s syndrome.
Fig. 6.
Fig. 6.
The percentage suppression of the PHA stimulated blastogenesis of T lymphocytes in a patient with Nelson’s syndrome.
Fig. 7.
Fig. 7.
The suppressive effect of cortisol on the PHA stimulated blastogenesis of T lymphocytes in normal subjects.
Fig. 8.
Fig. 8.
The percentage suppression of the PHA stimulated blastogenesis of T lymphocytes by cortisol in normal subjects.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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