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Biomedical subjects

M B Youdim

Publications and source records attributed to M B Youdim.

At least 235 records · Page 13Linked to original sources

Increased platelet adhesion and aggregation in hypertensive patients: effect of atenolol.

Fourteen patients with established hypertension followed a double-blind crossover-styled trial to study the effects of 100 mg/day atenolol compared to placebo. Atenolol was found to be an effective antihypertensive agent, reducing both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Hypertensive patients appear to have increased in vitro platelet adhesion and aggregation. Atenolol significantly reduced platelet adhesion, but had little effect on aggregation. This may be important in contributing towards the now-recognised cardio-protective effect of the beta-adrenoceptor blocking agents. Blood chemistry and haematological parameters were unchanged; but whereas plasma cholesterol and plasma triglyceride levels remained normal, there was a significant fall in plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Side effects were very few.

Adult↗

Behavioural hyperactivity in rats treated with selective monoamine oxidase inhibitors and LM 5008, a selective 5-hydroxytryptamine uptake blocker.

The administration of 4-[2-(3-indolyl)ethyl]piperidine (LM 5008), a selective 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) uptake blocker to rats pretreated with tranylcypromine (Tcp) resulted in a behavioural syndrome of locomotor hyperactivity which is indistinguishable from that following combined treatment with Tcp and L-tryptophan. A similar behavioural response was elicited by the administration of LM 5008 to rats pretreated with 5-hydroxytryptophan. The response to LM 5008 after monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibition was abolished by pretreatment with p-chlorophenylalanine, indicating the involvement of 5-HT in producing the hyperactivity syndrome. The administration of imipramine and chlorimipramine in combination with Tcp also resulted in hyperactivity, but these drugs were much less potent than LM 5008 in producing the syndrome. In contrast to L-tryptophan, which can produce hyperactivity only after the inhibition of both type A and type B MAO, LM 5008 can elicit the syndrome after selective inhibition of MAO type A only but not after inhibition of MAO type B. The behavioural results indicate that when MAO type A is inhibited, LM 5008 treatment elicits hyperactivity by preventing the availability of 5-HT to be metabolized by MAO-B component.

5-Hydroxytryptophan↗

Effects of LM 5008, a selective inhibitor of 5-hydroxytryptamine uptake, on blood pressure and responses to sympathomimetic amines.

LM 5008 (4-[2-(3-indolyl)ethyl]piperidine) (10, 20 and 50 mg kg-1) had no significant effect on pressor responses to noradrenaline or tyramine in rats anaesthetized with urethane. Desmethylimipramine (1 mg kg-1) blocked the response to tyramine but chlorimipramine (5 mg kg-1) had no significant effect on responses to noradrenaline or tyramine. In the rabbit, anaesthetized with chloralose, LM 5008 (5 mg kg-1) had no effect on pressor responses to noradrenaline, tyramine or angiotensin II, while desmethylimipramine (0.25 mg kg-1) inhibited responses to tyramine and potentiated those to noradrenaline. LM 5008 (10 mg kg-1) had no effect on resting blood pressure of conscious normotensive or DOCA-saline hypertensive rats. Tranylcypromine (5 mg kg-1) produced a fall in blood pressure in conscious normotensive and in DOCA hypertensive rats. Treatment with a combination of LM 5008 (10 mg kg-1) and tranylcypromine (5 mg kg-1) resulted in the appearance of a behavioural hyperactivity syndrome, but blood pressure was not different from that of animals treated with tranylcypromine alone. These results further demonstrate the selectivity of LM 5008 for 5-hydroxytryptamine as opposed to catecholamine uptake.

Angiotensin II↗

In vivo, noradrenaline is a substrate for rat brain monoamine oxidase A and B.

In vivo clorgyline (5 mg/kg) and (-)-deprenyl (5 mg/kg) selectively inhibit monoamine oxidase (MAO) type A and B activities in rat brain hypothalamus and caudate nucleus using 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), noradrenaline (NA), and beta-phenylethylamine (PEA) as substrates. Clorgyline induces a significant increase in NA concentrations of hypothalamus and caudate nucleus; however (-)-deprenyl is without effect. The combination of clorgyline and (-)-deprenyl at the above doses completely inhibits both forms of MAO, resulting in an even greater increase in NA levels in both brain areas than observed with clorgyline. The non-selective inhibitor tranylcypromine (5 mg/kg) produced a similar effect. Rats pretreated with the selective or the non-selective inhibitors but given L-DOPA (50 mg/kg) have a similar pattern of brain NA, but its concentrations are higher in both brain regions. The results indicate that although in vitro NA may be an exclusive substrate for MAO type A, in vivo, when this enzyme form is selectively inhibited, NA at high concentrations can be a substrate for MAO type B.

Animals↗

L-Deprenil, a selective monoamine oxidase type B inhibitor, in the treatment of depression: a double blind evaluation.

In a double blind controlled study, 14 affectively ill patients (2 bipolars, 12 unipolars) were randomly allocated to L-Deprenil treatment (an irreversible selective MAO-B inhibitor without "cheese effect") and 13 patients (3 bipolars, 10 unipolars) to placebo only. Patients on L-Deprenil showed a significantly greater clinical improvement than placebo patients. A positive relationship was found between clinical improvement and degree of platelet MAO inhibition in patients treated with L-Deprenil.

Adult↗

Prolactin binding by testes of unilaterally cryptorchid rats: the effect of hCG, testosterone, prolactin and orchiopexy.

The effect of unilateral cryptorchidism on prolactin binding to the testes was studied in the rat. Cryptorchidism was rendered surgically for 3 weeks and 3, 6 and 9 weeks later prolactin binding was measured in testicular homogenates. Prolactin binding to the cryptorchid testes decreased significantly at 3 weeks with a further decrease at 6 and 9 weeks. Binding by the contralateral testes decreased at 3 weeks and increased at 6 and 9 weeks. To examine the possible mechanism of these changes one group of rats was treated for 5 weeks with testosterone and another with hCG. Testosterone treatment resulted in a significant fall in prolactin binding to normal, cryptorchid and contralateral testes. hCG also produced a slight but significant reduction in prolactin binding. To study the effect of surgical relocation of the testes into the scrotum, orchiopexy was performed in another group of rats. Orchiopexy increased prolactin binding only if performed 3 weeks after cryptorchidism. At 6 and 9 weeks after cryptorchidism orchiopexy did not increase prolactin binding. Treatment of cryptorchid rats with prolactin for 5 weeks induced an increase in prolactin binding to control, cryptorchid and contralateral testes. It is concluded that testicular atrophy follows upon placement of a testis within the peritoneal cavity. This atrophy lowers the total amount of prolactin binding and increases binding to the contralateral testes. Intratesticular concentration of testosterone may play a major role in the decrease of prolactin binding. Orchiopexy improves prolactin binding only if performed before 6 weeks of age. Administration of prolactin augments prolactin binding to the testes, irrespective of their location.

Animals↗

Binding of oestradiol, progesterone and prolactin in rat lung.

Binding of [3H]oestradiol and of [3H]progesterone in the cytosol from lungs of adult male rats was suppressible, dependent on incubation time and on protein concentration and was protein in nature. Suppressible binding of oestradiol consisted of a high affinity site (dissociation constant (Kd), 1 x 10(-9) +/- 0.2 x 10(-9) mol/l; maximum number of binding sites (Bmax), 0.7 +/- 0.2 pmol/mg protein) and a lower affinity site (Kd, 2.4 x 10(-8) +/- 0.6 x 10(-8) mol/l; Bmax, 6.3 +/- 0.4 pmol/mg protein) and showed evidence of positive co-operation. Suppressible binding of progesterone consisted of a single site with a Kd of 6 x 10(-9) +/- 1 x 10(-9) mol/l and Bmax of 44.5 +/- 8 fmol/mg protein. Binding of 125I-labelled ovine prolactin was found in homogenates of fetal lung (20 days of gestation) but not of adult lung (80 days of age). Treatment of adult rats with ovine prolactin was associated with an increase in the number of binding sites of high affinity for 125I-labelled ovine prolactin but these sites showed an altered specificity. This 'up-regulation' of the prolactin binding may provide a mechanism by which prolactin stimulates surfactant production in lung. These results, together with the known effects of these hormones on certain lung functions, provide further evidence that lung is a target organ for oestradiol, progesterone and prolactin.

Animals↗

Brain iron and dopamine receptor function.

It has been demonstrated that nutritional iron-deficiency induced in rats results in the reduction of DA D2 receptor binding sites, leading to down-regulation of dopaminergic activity similar to that observed in neuroleptic-treated animals. The following observations are common to both conditions: (a) Decreased behavioural response to pre- and post-synaptically DA and serotonin acting drugs, amphetamine, apomorphine and 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine. (b) Inhibition of amphetamine or apomorphine induced hypothermia in rats kept at an ambient temperature of 4 degrees C. (c) Increased sleeping time to phenobarbitone which cannot be attributed to the rate of drug metabolism (5,38). (d) Upregulation of prolactin binding sites in the liver as a result of increased serum prolactin. Additionally, nutritional iron-deficiency lowers brain iron and interferes with protein synthesis in this organ, which could explain the reduction of DA D2 receptor number and function. Given the fact that the highest brain concentrations of iron are found in dopaminergic structures (see 42 for review), and the essential role of intact dopaminergic systems to attentional and learning processes (15b,30), the resultant behavioural changes due to the reduction of dopaminergic activity in iron-deficient animals may go some way to explain the adverse effects on cognition, behavioural patterns, learning and attention, event-related potentials (ERPs) and EEG changes reported in iron-deficient children (19-28,30).

Anemia, Hemolytic↗

Inhibition of rat liver monoamine oxidase by alpha-methyl- and N-propargyl-amine derivatives.

The inhibition of rat liver monoamine oxidase by a number of N-propargyl and alpha-methyl amine derivatives has been examined. The results indicate that alpha-methyl-substituted primary and secondary amine derivatives tend to show selectivity as reversible inhibitors towards the A-form of the enzyme. The structural features that result in selectivity in irreversible inhibitors are less easy to define and substitution of an N-propargyl group into a compound that is a selective reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase will not necessarily result in retention of that selectivity. Replacement of the acetylenic group in a B-selective irreversible inhibitor by an ethylenic group resulted in a compound that was a reversible inhibitor showing slight selectivity for the A-form of the enzyme.

Alkynes↗

Nutritional iron and dopamine binding sites in the rat brain.

Iron-deficiency (ID) anemia in man is associated with neurological disorders and abnormal behavior. Rats made nutritionally iron-deficient have markedly diminished behavioral responses to centrally-acting drugs (amphetamine and apomorphine) which affect monoaminergic systems. ID has no effect on either the levels of monoamines or on the activities of monoamine-metabolizing enzymes in the brain. We have investigated the possibility that ID may affect postsynaptic events at the level of receptor by measuring the specific binding sites of several neurotransmitters in different brain areas. The results clearly show that ID causes a significant (40-60%) reduction of the DA D2 binding sites in the caudate. DA-sensitive adenylate cyclase, alpha- and beta-adrenergic, muscarinic cholinergic and the benzodiazepine binding sites were not affected by ID. The effects of ID on DA D2 binding sites and the behavioral responses to apomorphine can be reversed when iron-deficient rats are placed for 8 days on an iron-deficient diet supplemented with iron. Chronic hemolytic anemia produced by repeated phenylhydrazine injections caused no change in serum iron and had no effect on either apomorphine-induced hyperactivity or 3H-spiroperidol binding in the caudate. Since the highest concentration of iron is found in DA-rich brain areas, it is possible that iron may be crucial to either the synthesis or coupling of the DA D2 binding site. The possibility that the DA supersensitivity induced by neuroleptics may be related to iron metabolism in the brain has been investigated.

Anemia, Hemolytic↗

Rate-limiting step in the metabolism of polar and non-polar monoamines in lung and liver.

1 Uptake of the non-hydroxylated amines, [14C]-tryptamine and [14C]-benzylamine in rat lung, infused through the pulmonary circulation, was not saturable over the concentration range 2.5-1,000 microM. 2 The kinetic constants for deamination of a variety of hydroxylated and non-hydroxylated monoamines in liver, perfused via the portal circulation, with monoamine oxidase activity in homogenates of liver were similar. 3 In lung, uptake of both [14C]-tryptamine and [14C]-benzylamine was inhibited by the monoamine oxidase inhibitor deprenyl and competition occurred between tryptamine, benzylamine and beta-phenylethylamine for uptake. 4 These results indicate that tryptamine and benzylamine metabolism in lung is not limited by uptake, unlike that of the hydroxylated amines 5-hydroxytryptamine and noradrenaline and that uptake resembles that of beta-phenylethylamine in lung. 5 the selectivity of the lung in handling monoamines is not shown by the liver, suggesting that lung has a specific role in clearing certain biogenic monoamines.

Amines↗

Iron deficiency-induced circadian rhythm reversal of dopaminergic-mediated behaviours and thermoregulation in rats.

An iron-free diet for 28 days caused a reduced level of iron in the blood. Iron deficient rats exhibited a lower level of motor activity and reversed circadian rhythms of thermoregulation and motor activity. The hypothermic effect of d-amphetamine was significantly reduced in iron deficient rats, and the magnitude of this effect was correlated with the decrease in the blood and brain. The hypermotility effect of d-amphetamine was also significantly reduced. Apomorphine-induced stereotyped behaviour was greater during the light period in contrast to that of control rats. The results of this study indicate that iron plays a major role in the normal function of the monoaminergic system in the brain, particularly in the dopaminergic system, via modification of dopaminergic receptors.

Animals↗