Eight normal male subjects received 1 mg dexamethasone at 23.00 h and 0.5 mg on wakening
followed by a physiological intravenous dose of synthetic ACTH1-24250 ng, with and without the administration of a stable met-enkephalin analogue (guanyl-DAMME,
100 μg) 10 minutes prior to the ACTH. The opioid analogue caused no change in the
peak, incremental, or incremental area under the curve responses of plasma cortisol
to the ACTH. This study does not support a role for opioid peptides in the acute modulation
of the adreno-cortical response to ACTH.
Opioid - Adrenal - Cortisol - ACTH
