PLASMA-LEVELS OF ENDOGENOUS OPIOID-PEPTIDES IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION

There is substantial evidence that cardiac opioid receptors are activa ted during arrhythmias induced by administration of opioid peptides or myocardial ischemia, supporting the hypothesis that endogenous opioid peptides (EOP) are involved in myocardial infarction. This prospectiv e clinical trial is designed to determine whether the ischemia-induced arrhythmias and extent of the infarct are related to the release of t he EOP beta-endorphin in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Tw o groups were included in the study, patients with acute myocardial in farction, and healthy volunteers who served as controls. The results i ndicate that, compared to the controls, there was augmentation of isch emic arrhythmias and ischemic damage as assessed by serum creatine kin ase activity, accompanied by an elevated level of beta-endorphin, in p atients with acute myocardial infarction. The above data strongly indi cate that EOP are indeed involved in the pathophysiology of myocardial infarction, and suggest these peptides have an important role in isch emic heart disease.