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Effects of Opioid Peptides on Aldosterone Production: Stimulatory Effect of Leu-Enkephalin^*

M. EUGENIA BRUZZONE and ELISA T. MARUSIC

Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile Casilla 70055, Santiago, Chile

Abstract

The effects of several opioid peptides (Leu-enkephalin, Met-enkephalin, D-Ala²,D-Leu⁵-enkephalin, and peptide E) on aldosterone secretion have been studied in isolated bovine adrenal glomerulosa cells. Leu-enkephalin significantly increased aldosterone production in a dose-dependent manner (10^-10-10^-7 M). Similar results on steroidogenesis were obtained with the synthetic opioid D-Ala²,D-Leu⁵-enkephalin, whereas much higher concentrations of Met-enkephalin were required. Peptide E did not affect steroidogenesis.

Naltrexone or naloxone (10^-5 M) potentiated the effect of Leu-enkephalin on aldosterone secretion. The effect of a general opioid antagonist (diprenorphine) or an agonist (etorphine) was also studied. The stimulation by Leu-enkephalin of aldosterone secretion was only partially blocked by diprenorphine. Etorphine (10^-6 and 10^-8 M) had no effect on basal steroidogenesis. It is proposed that the stimulatory effect of Leu-enkephalin on aldosterone production could be mediated by a different receptor than the classical opioid receptors presently known. (Endocrinology 122: 402–406, 1988)

Footnotes

^* This work was supported by grants from the DIB and FONDECYT.

To whom requests for reprints should be addressed.

Received February 5, 1987.