Radioimmunoassay of metanephrine and normetanephrine for diagnosis of pheochromocytoma.
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Sensitive and specific radioimmunoassays of metanephrine and normetanephrine were developed by use of 125I-labeled synephrine and specific metanephrine antibody, and 125I-labeled octopamine and specific normetanephrine antibody. Specific antibody for both metanephrine and normetanephrine was raised in rabbits by immunization with bovine serum albumin conjugated with the corresponding hapten, prepared by the method of Grota and Brown (Endocrinology 1976;98:615). The detection limits of the metanephrine and the normetanephrine radioimmunoassays were 2 and 6 pg/tube, respectively. Mean plasma metanephrine and normetanephrine values for 24 normal subjects were 62 (SD 14) and 100 (SD 40) ng/L, respectively. Mean urinary metanephrine and normetanephrine values for 22 normal subjects were 154 (SD 74) and 217 (SD 109) micrograms/day. For 14 pheochromocytoma patients, plasma metanephrine and normetanephrine values ranged from 29 to 683 and from 28 to 7850 ng/L, and urinary metanephrine and normetanephrine values were 606 to 6630 and 296 to 4800 micrograms/day, respectively. The present methods are simple and suitable for routine tests or for mass screening for pheochromocytoma. (+info)
A role for alternative pathway catecholamines in the regulation of steroidogenesis in cow luteal cells.
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Incubation of bovine luteal cells with the alternative pathway catecholamines octopamine, synephrine and deoxyadrenaline at concentrations of 10(-6) to 10(-3) M enhanced the production of progesterone (P less than 0.05). Tryamine did not alter basal progesterone production (P greater than 0.05). Addition of noradrenaline and adrenaline at concentrations of 10(-4) to 10(-7) M significantly elevated the production of progesterone (P less than 0.05). The steroidogenic response to noradrenaline and adrenaline was greater than that for octopamine, synephrine and deoxyadrenaline (P less than 0.05). Response to both primary (10(-6) M) and alternative (10(-4) M) pathway catecholamines was inhibited by propranolol (10(-5) M, P less than 0.05) but not phentolamine (10(-5) M, P greater than 0.05). These results demonstrate that octopamine, synephrine and deoxyadrenaline can affect steroidogenesis by bovine luteal cells, and their action is mediated by beta-adrenergic receptors. (+info)
Effect of sympathomimetic drugs in eliciting hypertensive responses to reserpine in the rat, after pretreatment with monoamineoxidase inhibitors.
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1. The effects of some rapidly metabolized sympathomimetic amines, such as beta-phenylethylamine and p-tyramine, in eliciting hypertensive responses to reserpine in the anaesthetized rat, have been studied.2. Retardation of metabolism, by pretreatment with the monoamineoxidase inhibitors iproniazid or phenelzine, causes beta-phenylethylamine (which in untreated rats has no effect) to induce hypertensive responses to reserpine. Tyramine and other hydroxy substituted phenylethylamines are much less active in this respect, probably because of relatively poor lipid solubility.3. Hypertensive responses to reserpine are due to catecholamine release, which is believed to be from stores made accessible to indirectly acting sympathomimetic amines with high lipid solubility by an action of reserpine on cell membranes. (+info)
Restoration of the chronotropic effect of tyramine on rat atria after reserpine.
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1. The restoration by various sympathomimetic amines of the chronotropic response to tyramine was studied on the isolated atria of rats pretreated with reserpine. The atria were exposed to the "restorative" sympathomimetic amine for 10 min, washed over a period of 1 hr and then tested with 10 muM tyramine. The effect of noradrenaline, dopamine and norphenylephrine before and after inhibition of monoamine oxidase by 0.5 mM iproniazid were compared with their alpha-methyl and N-alkyl analogues in their ability to restore the chronotropic response to tyramine.2. Noradrenaline and adrenaline restored the chronotropic response to tyramine, the degree of restoration depending on the concentration of the restorative amine used. Noradrenaline after iproniazid and alpha-methylnoradrenaline were equipotent and were about 1,000 times more active than noradrenaline where monoamine oxidase was not inhibited. Dopamine, epinine, norphenylephrine, phenylephrine, octopamine, synephrine and isoprenaline in the absence of monoamine oxidase inhibition had no effect. Dopamine after iproniazid and alpha-methyldopamine were equipotent and were about 1/10 as active as alpha-methylnoradrenaline. Norphenylephrine after iproniazid and metaraminol were equipotent and were about 1/500 as active as alpha-methylnoradrenaline. Octopamine after iproniazid was even less active. The N-methylated analogues were about 1/10 as active as their nor-compounds but the N-isopropyl analogue, isoprenaline, was devoid of activity.3. Dopamine after iproniazid and alpha-methyldopamine were inactive if a dopamine-beta-hydroxylase inhibitor, disulphiram or sodium diethyldithiocarbamate, was present.4. It is concluded that, in atria of reserpinized rats, (a) protection from monoamine oxidase increases; (b) N-substitution decreases; and (c) hydroxyl groups at the beta-carbon and ring positions 3 and 4 increase the capabilities of a sympathomimetic amine to restore the chronotropic response to tyramine. (+info)
Mechanism of potentiation of contractor responses to catecholamines by methylxanthines in aortic strips.
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1. Caffeine and theophylline increased the amplitude of contractor esponses of untreated and reserpine pretreated rabbit aortic strips to catecholamines (adrenaline, alpha-methylnoradrenaline, noradrenaline). Responses to amines without both the 3- and 4-OH groups in the benzene ring (methoxamine, phenylephrine, Synephrine) were not increased by theophylline and only those to Synephrine were slightly enhanced by caffeine.2. Compounds which inhibit catechol-O-methyltransferase (pyrogallol, tropolone, U-0521) potentiated responses to catecholamines and abolished the enhancing effect of theophylline and caffeine. Also, the potentiation produced by inhibitors of O-methylation was significantly reduced in the presence of the methylxanthines.3. Experiments done with the aid of the technique of oil immersion, to eliminate the diffusion of drug from the tissue into the bathing medium, showed that theophylline and caffeine decreased the rate of inactivation of adrenaline by O-methylation.4. These findings indicate that methylxanthines potentiate the contractor responses to catecholamines in aortic strips by inhibiting their extraneuronal inactivation. (+info)
Influence of thyroid hormones on the sensitivity of cardiac and smooth muscle to biogenic amines and other drugs.
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1. Rats and guinea-pigs were injected with 1-thyroxine or thyroidectomized. Sensitivity of isolated tissues and of the intact cardiovascular system to drugs was investigated.2. Thyroxine increased the sensitivity of the isolated perfused heart to noradrenaline, adrenaline, isoprenaline, acetylcholine and histamine.3. Thyroxine increased the sensitivity of the rat isolated uterus to noradrenaline, adrenaline, isoprenaline, acetylcholine, histamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine.4. In contrast, thyroxine decreased the sensitivity of the isolated ileum to acetylcholine, histamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine, but not to adrenaline.5. Thyroxine also decreased the sensitivity of the isolated aorta to noradrenaline, adrenaline, histamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine.6. In pithed rats, thyroxine potentiated pressor responses to (+)-amphetamine but not to noradrenaline or synephrine.7. In anaesthetized thyroxine-treated rats, blood pressure responses to (+)-amphetamine were potentiated while those to noradrenaline were unaltered. Responses to acetylcholine were increased, and the response to isoprenaline became purely pressor.8. Thyroxine-induced changes in the sensitivity of the isolated uterus and ileum to modification of the concentration of calcium in the physiological salt solution paralleled the changes in drug sensitivity of these tissues.9. In general, thyroidectomy produced the opposite effects to those of thyroxine.10. It is concluded that there is no specific interaction between thyroxine and sympathomimetic amines, the effect of thyroxine on drug sensitivity being non-specific. (+info)
Degradation of (+/-)-synephrine by Arthrobacter synephrinum. Oxidation of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetate to 2-hydroxy-5-carboxymethyl-muconate semialdehyde.
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1. Cell-free extracts of Arthrobacter synephrinum catalyse the oxidation of 3,4-dihydroxy-phenylacetate. 2. The product of oxidation was characterized as 2-hydroxy-5-carboxymethylmuconate semialdehyde from its chemical behaviour as well as from nuclear-magnetic-resonance spectra. 3. A 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetate 2,3-dioxygenase (EC 1.13.11.15) was partially purified from A. synephrinum. 4. The enzyme had a Km of 25 micrometer towards its substrate and exhibited typical Michaelis-Menten kinetics. 5. The enzyme also catalysed the oxidation of 3,4-dihydroxymandelate and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylpropionate, at reaction rates of 0.5 and 0.04 respectively of that for 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetate. 6. The enzyme was sensitive to treatment with thiol-specific reagents. 7. The molecular weight of the enzyme as determined by Sephadex G-200 chromatography was approx. 282000. (+info)
alpha-Sympathomimetic amines and calcium-mediated action potentials in guinea-pig ventricular muscle.
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1 The ability of amines, having alpha- or alpha- and beta-adrenoceptor stimulating activity, to restore excitability and contractility in heart preparations partially depolarized by potassium, was investigated in guinea-pig ventricular muscle in order to elucidate the mechanism of the positive inotropic effect mediated via alpha-adrenoceptors. 2 In preparations in which fast sodium channels were inactivated by K+-rich medium (22 mM) slow electrical responses as well as contractions were consistently induced by high concentrations of phenylephrine (10(-4) to 3 X 10(-4) M) and synephrine (3 X 10(-4) M). 3 The restorative effective effects of both phenylephrine and synephrine were unaffected by phentolamine (10(-5) M) but were readily abolished by practolol (10(-5) M) or sotalol (10(-5) M). 4 Methoxamine induced a dose-dependent positive inotropic effect in ventricular strips paced at 0.5 Hz in normal Tyrode solution; the maximum increase in contractile tension was obtained with methoxamine 10(-4) M. However, at the same concentration, the amine did not induce slow electrical responses in potassium-depolarized preparations. 5 It is concluded that the induction of slow responses by phenylephrine and synephrine is due to beta-adrenoceptor stimulation, and that the increase in cardiac contractility caused by alpha-adrenoceptor stimulation does not involve an increase in slow inward calcium current. (+info)