Discrimination between beta-endorphin and beta-lipotrophin in human plasma using two-site immunoradiometric assays

We wished to discriminate between the opioid peptide beta-endorphin (beta-EP) and its non-opioid precursor beta-lipotrophin (beta-LPH) in normal subjects and patients with ACTH-related disorders.

We produced monoclonal antibodies to beta-EP and beta-LPH for the development of two-site immunoradiometric assays (IRMAs) which specifically quantitate beta-EP and beta-LPH.

Samples were obtained from patients with a range of ACTH-related disorders and compared with 18 normal subjects. Peptide levels were also compared in six patients with Cushing's syndrome undergoing bilateral inferior petrosal sinus sampling with corticotrophin releasing hormone administration.

In the beta-EP IRMA, antibody 6B2, specific for beta-EP 18-27, is radiolabelled and antibody 2E10, recognizing beta-EP 1-5, is coupled to Sephacryl S-300 as solid phase. The IRMA is specific for beta-EP (beta-LPH cross-reacts < 0.02%), has a detection limit of 1.4 +/- 0.7 pmol/l (n = 7) and has a within-assay coefficient of variation of < 10% between 4.9 and 1200 pmol/l. In the beta-LPH IRMA, antibody 6B2, which recognizes an epitope common to beta-LPH and beta-EP, is radiolabelled and paired with solid-phase antibody 5C11 which recognizes beta-LPH 39-56. The binding site of this antibody ensures that beta-EP cannot be measured in the beta-LPH assay. The detection limit is 0.8 +/- 0.1 pmol/l (n = 9) and the within-assay coefficient of variation is < 10% at concentrations 1.7-870 pmol/l.

In normal subjects, beta-EP and beta-LPH levels were < 1.4-1.7 pmol/l (< 5-6 ng/l) and 2.5-6.7 pmol/l (29-77 ng/l) at 0930 h and < 1.4-1.7 pmol/l (< 5-6 ng/l) and 1.9-4.5 pmol/l (22-49 ng/l) at 1600 h, respectively. In patients with ACTH-related pathologies concentrations of beta-EP and beta-LPH paralleled those of ACTH. The ratio of beta-LPH:beta-EP in plasma varied between 3.2:1 and 38:1 in these patients demonstrating that beta-LPH is the major circulating peptide derived from the C-terminal of pro-opiomelanocortin in man. However, in two patients undergoing bilateral inferior petrosal sampling with corticotrophin releasing hormone for diagnosis of Cushing's disease beta-EP concentrations increased rapidly during the first 5 minutes of the test, resulting in a sharp decrease in the beta-LPH: beta-EP ratio. These results suggest that beta-EP is preferentially released in response to acute corticotrophin releasing hormone stimulation.

It is concluded that two-site IRMAs for beta-EP and beta-LPH provide an easy approach to study the dynamic changes in processing of beta-LPH to beta-EP.