What Are Endorphins?

Endorphin, also known as andorphin or brain endorphin, is an endogenous (secreted by the pituitary gland) morphine-like biochemical synthetic hormone. It is an amino compound (peptide) secreted by the pituitary gland and the lower thalamus of vertebrates. It binds to morphine receptors and produces the same analgesic effects and euphoria as morphine and opiates. Equivalent to natural analgesics. The use of drugs can increase the secretion of endorphins.

Endorphin

In 1975, brain endorphins were discovered simultaneously by two independent researchers.

John Hughes and Hans Kosterlitz of Scotland first discovered (alpha), (bet

There are four types of endorphins: , , , and . Among them, -endorphin is abundant in pituitary.

Since the 1970s, Gilbert et al. Found that stress response can cause a variety of endogenous opioid peptides to be secreted in specific parts of the body and bind to different receptors. After continuous efforts, a total of five opioid receptors have been found, including receptors, receptors, receptors, receptors, and receptors, of which receptors are divided into 1 and 2 receptors. These receptors are distributed in pain conduction areas and emotional and behavioral areas, and are concentrated in the gray matter around the aqueduct, the medial thalamus, the amygdala, and the spinal cord. These complex receptors can be activated by different agonists, producing different biological effects. For example, when receptors mainly distributed in the brain stem are activated by morphine, they can produce analgesic and respiratory depression effects, while receptors mainly distributed in the cerebral cortex only produce analgesic effects without inhibiting respiration [1].

Psychological and Physiological Mediating Mechanisms of Stress

Endogenous peptides that specifically bind to opioid receptors include endorphins, enkephalins, and dynorphins, which are widely present in the brain, pituitary, placenta, gastrointestinal tract, and plasma, showing obvious opioids Activity, and participate in brain function activities related to personality, mood and behavior. There are four types of endorphins: , , , and . Among them, -endorphin is abundant in pituitary. Enkephalins are two special pentapeptide compounds in endogenous opioids: leucine and methionine enkephalins, which contain active groups similar to morphine. In in vitro synaptic opioid binding assays, enkephalin, alpha-endorphin, and gamma-endorphin have the same activity as morphine, while beta-endorphin is 5-10 times more active than morphine. The analgesic effect of endorphin can only be seen when administered in the brain, but it has not been confirmed whether there is analgesic activity in peripheral administration. Endogenous peptides, opioid receptors, and endorphin neurons together form the endorphin system.

In the 1980s, according to immunological analysis, people identified the DNA sequences of three endogenous peptide precursor molecules [2], which were named enkephalin, ACTH / endorphin, and dynorphin, respectively. . Similar to typical peptide hormones, opioid precursors have no biological activity and rely on enzymatic decomposition to produce active molecules. All natural endorphins have four identical amino acids at the beginning, namely Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe. The different properties of various endorphins reflect the extension of structures other than this part. Stress hormones have targeted the immune system as a target [2]. After surgery or trauma, patients often experience immune disorders, which may be related to endorphin. Shavit et al. Pointed out that leukocyte metabolites can directly stimulate the release of ACTH and -endorphin from the pituitary gland, and opioids acting on the central nervous system will affect the body's immune function, and thus proposed the theory of immune-opioid interactions.

Opioids and opioids can be combined with monocytes, granulocytes, lymphocytes, and complement. ACTH and opioids have been detected in lymphocytes, plasma cells, macrophages, and platelets. Although interleukins cannot be derived from opioid precursor factors, they are very similar in structure and have similar biological effects as opioid peptides or ACTHs. Opioids can affect the measurement of immune function in in vitro tests, and in vivo tests, if injected with opioids or other antagonists can also change the immune process and results.

The immune system sensitive to foreign body antigens can trigger a series of neuro-endocrine chain reactions. Opioids also play a role in this process, and even cause septic shock. Naloxone has been used clinically to treat clinical septic shock, showing a certain effect.

Endorphins and Stress Response

Cardiac surgery is a strong stress response process. A series of stimuli such as anesthesia, pain, extracorporeal circulation non-physiological perfusion, hemodynamic changes, hypothermia, hemodilution, contact between blood and foreign body surfaces, heparinization, etc. will affect The body's neurohumoral response causes increased secretion of stress hormones, leading to changes in the body's physiological functions. How to adjust the degree of stress response is an important factor to maintain the stability of the body environment.

Hynyne et al. [4] found that plasma -endorphin levels increased during cardiopulmonary bypass surgery; Lacoumenta et al. Also measured -endorphin, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH),

The levels of growth hormone (HGH), glucocorticoids, insulin, etc., indicate significant changes in hormone secretion during stress responses. These changes peak during induction of anesthesia, excision, and extracorporeal circulation, and can gradually recover after surgery. Guillemin et al. [6] found that stress induced by surgery, -endorphin synthesis increased with ACTH secretion. Both -endorphin and ACTH are derived from the pituitary gland and are regulated by corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), and are controlled by feedback from the adrenal gland. CRF, -endorphin and ACTH all autonomously maintain homeostasis stability and regulate pain. Bloom's research shows that the presence of enkephalin in the brain is more extensive than that of endorphin, and it has no correlation with -endorphin concentration.

Because endorphin regulates the analgesic state caused by stress, plasma endorphin levels can be used to infer the general status of central opioid pathway activity. The degree of clinical pain after surgical trauma can be determined by measuring plasma endorphin. However, due to the dynamic components of many endorphin systems and the complex arrangement of various parts, it is difficult to explain them with simple methods. The radioimmunoassay method of -endorphin can be measured.

Endorphin running pleasure

"Runner's high" means that when the amount of exercise exceeds a certain level, endorphins are secreted in the body. Prolonged, continuous, moderate to heavy weight exercise, deep breathing are also conditions for the production of endorphins. Long-term exercise runs out of glycogen in the muscles, leaving only oxygen, and endorphins are secreted. These sports include running, swimming, cross-country skiing, long-distance rowing, cycling, weightlifting, aerobic dance or ball games (such as basketball, football or American football).

Endorphins

Spicy taste creates a painful feeling on the tongue. In order to balance this pain, the human body secretes endorphins and eliminates pain on the tongue. At the same time, it creates a feeling similar to happiness in the human body. Comes from spicy itself, so many people like spicy food

Endorphins sing bright songs

Singing loud songs also helps produce endorphins. ^[1]