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Cerebral decarboxylation ofmeta- andpara-tyrosine

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Summary

The decarboxylase inhibitor DL-a-monofluoromethyldopa reduces, in a dose dependent manner, the concentration of striatalp-tyramine in the mouse. Homovanillic acid is also significantly reduced. Conversely, this treatment increases them-tyramine concentration. Administration ofm-tyrosine produces large increases inm-tyramine and a slight decrease inp-tyramine; these changes are potentiated in the presence of the decarboxylase inhibitor. Such data along with other recently published results permit the conclusion thatm-tyramine arises from phenylalanine viam-tyrosine and thatp-tyramine arises by decarboxylation ofp-tyrosine. Both these reactions are closely related to the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase and the availability of appropriate substrates.

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  1. Psychiatric Research Division, University Hospital, S7N OXO, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

    A. A. Boulton & A. V. Juorio

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Acknowledgments. We thank Dr N. Seiler for suggesting the investigation of the effect of DL-a-monofluoromethyldopa on tyrosine decarboxylation; Drs D.A. Durden and C. Kazakoff for supervising the mass spectrometric analyses; Dr B.A. Davis for synthesizing the deuteratedp-andm-tyramine; D. Choo, M. Mizuno, G. Wheatley and E. P. Zarycki for expert technical assistance and Saskatchewan Health and the Medical Research Council of Canada for continuing financial support.

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Boulton, A.A., Juorio, A.V. Cerebral decarboxylation ofmeta- andpara-tyrosine. Experientia 39, 130–134 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01958860

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