Opioid receptor selectivity of beta-endorphin in vitro and in vivo: mu, delta and epsilon receptors

The relative contributions of mu and delta opioid receptors in the response to Tyr-Gly-Gly-Phe-Met-Thr-Ser-Glu-Lys-Ser-Gln-Thr-Pro-Leu-Val-Thr-Leu-Phe- Lys-Asn - Ala-Ileu-Ileu-Lys-Asn-Ala-Tyr-Lys-Lys-Gly-Glu (B-endorphin) were assessed as reductions in B-endorphin potency in the presence of mu and delta receptor selective antagonists in the guinea pig ileum, mouse vas deferens, rat vas deferens and in analgesic and gastrointestinal transit time tests in mice. We used the nonselective antagonist naloxone, the mu antagonist D-Phe-Cys-Tyr-D-Trp-Lys-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH2 (CTP) and the delta antagonist N,N,diallyl-Tyr-Aib-Aib-Phe-Leu-OH (ICI 174,864) in each test system at concentrations that effectively antagonized the respective mu and delta agonists, Tyr-Pro-N-MePhe-D-Pro-NH2 and Tyr-D-Pen-Gly-Phe-D-Pen. In the guinea pig ileum, the inhibitory effects of 1 microM B-endorphin were blocked by 1 microM CTP and 1 microM naloxone, but not by 1 microM ICI 174,864. In the mouse vas deferens, B-endorphin (0.2 microM) was antagonized by 1 microM CTP, 1 microM ICI 174,864 and by 1 microM naloxone. In contrast, in the rat vas deferens, B-endorphin (0.01-1 microM) produced potent inhibitory actions that were blocked by 1 microM naloxone, but not by 1 microM-CTP or by 1 microM ICI 174,864. The mu agonist, Tyr-Pro-N-MePhe-D-Pro-NH2 (0.1-10 microM), like B-endorphin, also had inhibitory actions in the rat vas deferens, but its effects were blocked by 1 microM CTP.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)