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Plasma beta-endorphin, beta-lipotropin, and met-enkephalin concentrations during pregnancy in normal and drug-addicted women and their newborn
Identifier
000428
Type of Spiritual Experience
None
Background
A description of the experience
Plasma beta-endorphin, beta-lipotropin, and met-enkephalin concentrations during pregnancy in normal and drug-addicted women and their newborn - Panerai AE et al
Most studies of plasma beta-endorphin concentrations in pregnant women show that these are highly elevated. This might indicate a role for opiate peptides during pregnancy and in the fetus-mother relationship. We measured plasma beta-endorphin, beta-lipotropin, and met-enkephalin concentrations in normal and drug-addicted women during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, and in their newborn infants.
… In both normal and drug-addicted mothers we found an increase in plasma beta-endorphin during pregnancy, without a concomitant increase in plasma beta-lipotropin or metenkephalin. Only beta-lipotropin increased dramatically in both groups at delivery, whereas beta-endorphin and met-enkephalin remained unchanged. …… Plasma beta-endorphin, beta-lipotropin, and met-enkephalin concentrations of newborn infants of drug-addicted mothers increased dramatically on day 2 and 3 of life, up to 1000-fold the concentrations of normal adults, and remained elevated up to 40 days after birth.
In conclusion, beta-endorphin, beta-lipotropin, and met-enkephalin concentrations during pregnancy are not affected by drug addiction, whereas in the newborn of drug addicted mothers concentrations of these compounds are markedly increased.
PMID: 6308030