Acute Hypoxia Induces Enkephalin Production and Release in an Adrenergic Cell Line Model of Neonatal Chromaffin Cell Responses to Hypoxic Stress.

Objective: Prior to maturation of the human sympathetic nervous system, the neonatal adrenal medulla senses and responds to hypoxia. In addition to catecholamine release, the adrenal medulla synthesizes and stores opioid peptides, notably enkephalin (ENK). However, it is not known whether acute hypoxia evokes adrenal ENK production and release, as seen in the central nervous system (CNS).