$95

M O D U L A T O R Y ROLE OF 8 - E N D O R P H I N IN H O m e O S T A T I C T H E R M O R E G U L A T I O N

K A T S U H A R U K U B O and SHUJI TSUZUKI*, D e p a r t m e n t of B i o r e g u l a t i o n ,

I n s t i t u t e for M e d i c a l Genetics, K u m a m o t o U n i v e r s i t y M e d i c a l School,
K u m a m o t o 862, Japan.

We o b s e r v e d the effects of i n t r a - t h i r d v e n t r i c u l a r i n j e c t i o n
of 8 - e n d o r p h i n on rectal t e m p e r a t u r e (Tre) and oxygen c o n s u m p t i o n
(902) m e a s u r e d w i t h an open c i r c u i t m e t h o d in w a r m - a c c l i m a t e d rats
under e x p o s u r e to v a r i o u s a m b i e n t t e m p e r a t u r e s (Ta). Tre was
m a i n t a i n e d at the n o r m a l level for w a r m e n v i r o n m e n t after the ex-
posure, for 902 a l t e r e d after that h a v i n g a n e g a t i v e c o r r e l a t i o n
with the g i v e n Ta. The p o s t - e x p o s u r e Tre and V02 were not affect-
ed by the saline i n j e c t i o n served as the control. The i n j e c t i o n
of 8 - e n d o r p h i n induced a rise of Tre w i t h an increase in 902 from
each p o s t - e x p o s u r e level at Ta above C r i t i c a l Ta w h i c h was esti-
m a t e d b e t w e e n 10°C and 16°C, w h i l e it i n d u c e d a fall of Tre w i t h
a d e c r e a s e in 902 at Ta b e l o w C r i t i c a l Ta. M e a n 902 e i t h e r d u r i n g
the h y p e r t h e r m i c or h y p o t h e r m i c r e s p o n s e to ~ - e n d o r p h i n r e a c h e d an
equal level, w h i c h was e q u i v a l e n t to the 902 level in the m a x i m u m
t h e r m o g e n e t i c response to the systemic n o r e p i n e p h r i n e i n f u s i o n in
the w a r m - e n v i r o n m e n t . The d a t a s u g g e s t that 8 - e n d o r p h i n acts to
suppress b o t h m e c h a n i s m s of an i n h i b i t o r y c o n t r o l of a u t o n o m i c
heat p r o d u c t i o n at Ta above C r i t i c a l Ta and of an a d d i t i o n a l h e a t
p r o d u c t i o n at Ta b e l o w it by i n h i b i t i n g thermal r e s p o n s i v e n e s s ,
and results in setting the m e t a b o l i s m of the o r g a n i s m at a m a x i m u m
level of n o n - s h i v e r i n g thermogenesis. The ~ - e n d o r p h i n n e u r o n a l
system may c o n t r i b u t e to the i n i t i a t i o n and d e v e l o p m e n t of thermal
a d a p t a t i o n by l o o s e n i n g the p r e c i s e h o m e o s t a t i c t h e r m o r e g u l a t i o n
and a l l o w i n g the o r g a n i s m to adapt to new e n v i r o n m e n t a l signals.