This study was designed to compare the amounts of ACTH, beta-endorphin (beta END), and beta-lipotropin (beta LPH) that are present in plasma under basal conditions and after single and repeated administration of a discrete 2-min restraint stress both in intact and in chronically adrenalectomized rats. In intact rats, application of a 2-min restraint stress produced rapid parallel increases in plasma concentrations of radioimmunoassayable ACTH and beta END/beta LPH (the total of beta END-like immunoreactivities), with peaks 2.5-5 min after onset of the stress and return almost to basal concentrations by 30 min. Gel exclusion chromatography [Sephadex G-50 (fine)] and subsequent RIA revealed that plasma obtained from control nonstressed intact rats contained much greater quantities of beta END (94% of the total beta END/beta LPH immunoreactivity) than beta LPH. In contrast, equal amounts of beta END and beta LPH were present in plasma of intact rats 2.5-10 min after onset of the 2-min restraint stress. Chronically adrenalectomized rats lacking glucocorticoid-negative feedback had significantly higher basal plasma concentrations of beta END/beta LPH and ACTH than those present in intact rats. Furthermore, the plasma responses of both beta END/beta LPH and ACTH to stress were markedly enhanced in chronically adrenalectomized rats compared to the corresponding responses in intact rats. Gel exclusion chromatography revealed that both the higher basal concentration and the enhanced plasma beta END/beta LPH response to stress in adrenalectomized rats resulted primarily from increases in the beta LPH component, with lesser increases in the beta END component. In contrast to the proportion in intact rats, in chronically adrenalectomized rats, beta END represented about 27% of the total beta END/beta LPH immunoreactivity in the basal state and about 18% 5-10 min after the onset of restraint stress. In intact rats, the plasma ACTH responses to a subsequent stress applied 5 min (a time when peak plasma levels of hormones are present) or 30 min (a time when the plasma hormone concentrations have returned to prestress levels) after the initial stress and the plasma beta END/beta LPH response to a second stress applied at 30 min were equal to the corresponding hormone responses to a single stress. In contrast, the plasma beta END/beta LPH response to the subsequent stress applied 5 min after the initial stress was significantly potentiated in intact rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)