[Changes in the content of opiate-like substances in auricular electroacupuncture anesthesia of rats]

It was shown that auricular electro-acupuncture in rats, sufficient to induce analgesia, resulted in a significant increase of endorphins in cerebro-spinal fluid with a concomitant decrease in the basomedial hypothalamus and medial thalamus of beta-endorphin-like immunoreactivity as well as endorphin-like radioreceptor activity. In addition, the radioreceptor assay also revealed a decrease of endorphin-like radioreceptor activity in the periaqueductul gray matter. plasma levels of endorphins were not altered. Cerebro-spinal fluid contained only endogenous opiate ligand material with enkephalin-like molecular weight.