Pullan P T, Clement-Jones V, Corder R, Lowry P J, Rees G M, Rees L H, Besser G M, Macedo M M, Galvao-Teles A
Br Med J. 1980 Mar 15;280(6216):758-9. doi: 10.1136/bmj.280.6216.758.
Immunoreactive methionine enkephalin and beta-endorphin were sought by serial dilution of tissue extracts and assay of chromatographic fractions in non-endocrine tumour tissue from three patients with the ectopic adrenocorticotrophin syndrome associated with carcinoid tumours and in normal lung tissue and thymic tissue from a patient with myasthenia gravis. In all cases serial dilution of extracts showed parellelism to standard radioimmunoassay curves. The two peptides were found in high concentration in the three tumours but were undetectable in the control tissues. In a single case tested the methionine enkephalin concentration in a vein draining the tumour was twice that in a peripheral vein. In view of their profound effect on behaviour in animals and potent analgesic activity in animals and man the ectopic secretion of methionine enkephalin and beta-endorphin may modify the clinical features of a wide variety of tumours and produce some of the diverse clinical syndromes associated with malignancy.
通过对组织提取物进行系列稀释，并对三名患有类癌瘤相关异位促肾上腺皮质激素综合征患者的非内分泌肿瘤组织以及一名重症肌无力患者的正常肺组织和胸腺组织的色谱馏分进行检测，来寻找免疫反应性甲硫氨酸脑啡肽和β-内啡肽。在所有情况下，提取物的系列稀释均显示与标准放射免疫分析曲线平行。在这三个肿瘤中发现这两种肽的浓度很高，但在对照组织中未检测到。在一个测试病例中，引流肿瘤的静脉中甲硫氨酸脑啡肽浓度是外周静脉中的两倍。鉴于它们对动物行为有深远影响以及在动物和人类中具有强大的镇痛活性，甲硫氨酸脑啡肽和β-内啡肽的异位分泌可能会改变多种肿瘤的临床特征，并产生一些与恶性肿瘤相关的不同临床综合征。
