TY - JOUR
T1 - Sensitivity to β-endorphin as a cause of human obesity
AU - Giugliano, Dario
AU - Salvatore, Teresa
AU - Cozzolino, Domenico
AU - Ceriello, Antonio
AU - Torella, Roberto
AU - D'Onofrio, Felice
PY - 1987
Y1 - 1987
N2 - Naloxone, an opiate antagonist, was given as an intravenous bolus (5 mg) in both lean and obese healthy subjects. In lean people, there was a slight trend for insulin and C-peptide concentrations to decrease below baseline values with no glucose change. Obese subjects showed an exaggerated suppression of insulin and C-peptide and a slight decrease of glucose. Glucagon was suppressed in both groups. An infusion of human β-endorphin (0.05 mg/h) produced only minor changes in plasma glucose, insulin, glucagon, and C-peptide concentrations in lean subjects, but caused marked increments in obese. Glucagon rose in both groups, but its response was greater in obese subjects. A ten-day treatment with naloxone (1.2 mg twice a day) did not change the metabolic and hormonal responses to an oral glucose load (75 g) in lean but significantly inhibited the insulin and C-peptide responses to glucose in obese people. These results suggest that an increased opiate drive to the pancreatic beta-cell and an increased responsiveness of insulin to β-endorphin are present in human obesity.
AB - Naloxone, an opiate antagonist, was given as an intravenous bolus (5 mg) in both lean and obese healthy subjects. In lean people, there was a slight trend for insulin and C-peptide concentrations to decrease below baseline values with no glucose change. Obese subjects showed an exaggerated suppression of insulin and C-peptide and a slight decrease of glucose. Glucagon was suppressed in both groups. An infusion of human β-endorphin (0.05 mg/h) produced only minor changes in plasma glucose, insulin, glucagon, and C-peptide concentrations in lean subjects, but caused marked increments in obese. Glucagon rose in both groups, but its response was greater in obese subjects. A ten-day treatment with naloxone (1.2 mg twice a day) did not change the metabolic and hormonal responses to an oral glucose load (75 g) in lean but significantly inhibited the insulin and C-peptide responses to glucose in obese people. These results suggest that an increased opiate drive to the pancreatic beta-cell and an increased responsiveness of insulin to β-endorphin are present in human obesity.
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U2 - 10.1016/0026-0495(87)90135-1
DO - 10.1016/0026-0495(87)90135-1
M3 - Article
C2 - 2958673
AN - SCOPUS:0023616731
VL - 36
SP - 974
EP - 978
JO - Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental
JF - Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental
SN - 0026-0495
IS - 10
ER -