The disappearance rate of the immunoreactive beta h-endorphin and the effects of beta h-endorphin on pituitary hormone secretion were investigated in normal volunteers. Synthetic human beta h-endorphin was administered as a 2.5-mg iv bolus to five normal women resulting in a 1000-fold increase in concentration of circulating immunoreactive beta h-endorphin within 2.5 min. This was followed by a triple exponential disappearance curve yielding an initial fast component with a half-time (t 1/2; +/-SD) of 4.1 (+/-0.6) min, a midrange component with a t 1/2 of 13.1 (+/-0.6 min, and a slow component with t 1/2 of 46.2 (+/-7.0) min. In both male and female subjects this dose of beta-endorphin induced a significant increase in the levels of PRL and a significant decline in the concentration of LH, without altering basal levels of GH and TSH.