Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “AMINES”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 469 records · Page 26Linked to original sources

Controlling the density of amine sites on silica surfaces using benzyl spacers.

The synthesis and characterization of benzyl-spaced aminopropyl-functionalized mesoporous silica is reported by a method designed to reduce silanol-amine and amine-amine interactions. The new material is characterized by N(2) physisorption, thermogravimetric analysis, potentiometric titration, X-ray diffraction, FT-Raman spectroscopy, and (13)C and (29)Si solid-state NMR spectroscopy. The degree of clustering of the amines is studied by solid-state fluorescence spectroscopy of 1-pyrenecarboxylic acid bound to the deprotected benzyl-spaced aminosilica. The results obtained provide evidence of an amine loading comparable to traditional dense amine grafting approaches on SBA-15. Thermogravimetric analysis, FT-Raman spectroscopy, and (13)C solid-state NMR spectroscopy results show evidence that the protected imine can be quantitatively cleaved to yield the corresponding amine. As evidenced by fluorescence spectroscopy, the benzyl-spaced material is isolated enough to prevent excimer formation of the probe molecule, unlike aminopropyl-functionalized silica materials prepared by traditional grafting approaches.

Amines↗

Formation of gold nanoparticles using amine reducing agents.

We report on the use of amines as reducing agents in the formation of gold nanoparticles. We can predict whether the amines will function as reducing agents in this reaction based on their redox properties. The kinetics of AuNP formation can be understood in terms of Marcus electron transfer theory, where the slower reactions proceed in the inverted region owing to the difference between the Au reduction potential and the amine oxidation potential. For a certain number of the amine reducing agents, following reduction of HAuCl4, a subsequent reaction of the amine radical cation with other reducing agent molecules in solution can form poly(amine)s. These findings point collectively to the utility of amines as reducing agents in AuNP formation and provide information on the conditions under which these reactions will proceed.

Amines↗

The sugar model: catalysis by amines and amino acid products.

Ammonia and amines (including amino acids) were shown to catalyze the formation of sugars from formaldehyde and glycolaldehyde, and the subsequent conversion of sugars to carbonylcontaining products under the conditions studied (pH 5.5 and 50 degrees C). Sterically unhindered primary amines were better catalysts than ammonia, secondary amines, and sterically hindered primary amines (i.e. alpha-aminoisobutyric acid). Reactions catalyzed by primary amines initially consumed formaldehyde and glycolaldehyde about 15-20 times faster than an uncatalyzed control reaction. The amine-catalyzed reactions yielded aldotriose (glyceraldehyde), ketotriose (dihydroxyacetone), aldotetroses (erythrose and threose), ketotetrose (erythrulose), pyruvaldehyde, acetaldehyde, glyoxal, pyruvate, glyoxylate, and several unindentified carbonyl products. The concentrations of the carbonyl products, except pyruvate and ketotetrose, initially increased and then declined during the reaction, indicating their ultimate conversion to other products (like larger sugars or pyruvate). The uncatalyzed control reaction yielded no pyruvate or glyoxylate, and only trace amounts of pyruvaldehyde, acetaldehyde and glyoxal. In the presence of 15 mM catalytic primary amine, such as alanine, the rates of triose and pyruvaldehyde of synthesis were about 15-times and 1200-times faster, respectively, than the uncatalyzed reaction. Since previous studies established that alanine is synthesized from glycolaldehyde and formaldehyde via pyruvaldehyde as its direct precursor, the demonstration that the alanine catalyzes the conversion of glycolaldehyde and formaldehyde to pyruvaldehyde indicates that this synthetic pathway is capable of autocatalysis. The relevance of this synthetic process, named the Sugar Model, to the origin of life is discussed.

Acetaldehyde↗

Determination of isocyanates, aminoisocyanates and amines in air formed during the thermal degradation of polyurethane.

An air sampling method for the determination of isocyanates, aminoisocyanates and amines formed during the thermal degradation of polyurethane (PUR) is presented. The method is based on the collection of air samples using impinger flasks containing di-n-butylamine (DBA) in toluene with a glass fibre filter in series. Isocyanates are derivatized with DBA to urea derivatives, and amines are derivatized in a subsequent work-up procedure with ethyl chloroformate (ET) to carbamate esters. Amine, aminoisocyanate and isocyanate derivatives were characterized using liquid chromatography-time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-TOFMS) and liquid chromatography-chemiluminescent nitrogen detection (LC-CLND). Quantification was performed by LC-MS, monitoring molecular ions [MH]+ in the electrospray mode. The instrumental detection limits for amines, aminoisocyanates and isocyanates were in the ranges 30-40, 2-3 and 3-70 fmol, respectively. Thermal degradation products of PUR were observed in high concentrations during welding in district heating pipes and PUR-coated metal sheets. Eleven isocyanates, three amines and five aminoisocyanates were identified. The concentrations of isocyanates, aminoisocyanates and amines in samples collected in the smoke close to the welding spot were in the ranges 150-650, 4-290 and 1-70 ppb, respectively. In samples collected in the breathing zone, isocyanates and aminoisocyanates were observed in the ranges 9-120 and 4-19 ppb, respectively. The compounds were present in both gas and particle phases. Volatile compounds dominated in the gas phase, whereas less volatile compounds dominated in the particle phase. The method presented makes it possible to sample and determine amines and aminoisocyanates, in addition to isocyanates. The need to monitor these compounds is clearly illustrated by the high concentrations found during the thermal degradation of PUR.

Air Pollutants↗

Amine oxidase substrates mimic several of the insulin effects on adipocyte differentiation in 3T3 F442A cells.

We have previously reported that substrates of monoamine oxidase (MAO) and semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) exert short-term insulin-like effects in rat adipocytes, such as stimulation of glucose transport. In the present work, we studied whether these substrates could also mimic long-term actions of insulin. Adipose differentiation of 3T3 F442A cells, which is highly insulin-dependent, served as a model to test the effects of sustained administration of amine oxidase substrates. Daily treatment of confluent cells with 0.75 mM tyramine (a substrate of MAO and SSAO) or benzylamine (a substrate of SSAO) over 1 week caused the acquisition of typical adipocyte morphology. The stimulation of protein synthesis and triacylglycerol accumulation caused by tyramine or benzylamine reached one half of that promoted by insulin. This effect was insensitive to pargyline (an MAO inhibitor), but was inhibited by semicarbazide (an SSAO inhibitor) and by N-acetylcysteine (an antioxidant agent), suggesting the involvement of the H(2)O(2) generated during SSAO-dependent amine oxidation. Chronic administration of amine oxidase substrates also induced the emergence of adipose conversion markers, such as aP2, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, the glucose transporter GLUT4, and SSAO itself. Moreover, cells treated with amines acquired the same insulin sensitivity regarding glucose transport as adipocytes classically differentiated with insulin. In all, most of the adipogenic effects of amines were additive to insulin. Our data reveal that amine oxidase substrates partially mimic the adipogenic effect of insulin in cultured preadipocytes. Furthermore, they suggest that SSAO not only represents a novel late marker of adipogenesis, but could also be directly involved in the triggering of terminal adipocyte differentiation.

3T3 Cells↗

Purification of 2-oxoaldehyde dehydrogenase and its dependence on unusual amines.

1. 2-Oxoaldehyde dehydrogenase was purified from sheep liver and gave one band on polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. 2. The enzyme was completely dependent for its activity on the presence of Tris or one of a number of related amines, all of general structure: (See article). When more than one R group was hydrogen no enzyme activity was observed. 3. Only one of these amines is known to exist in living tissues and large concentrations of all amines were required for maximum activity. L-2-Aminopropan-1-ol was the most effective amine on the basis of substrate Km and Vmax. values and the amine Km values. 4. The enzyme was activated by phosphate which lowered the Km values for methylglyoxal, amine and NAD+. 5. The pH optimum of the enzyme was 9.3 and there was no activity at pH values below 7.8. A search for activators that might produce activity at pH 7.4 proved unsuccessful. 6. The enzyme was inhibited by rather large concentrations of barbiturates (6-46 mM) and nitro-alcohol analogues of the activating amines (66-139 mM).

Aldehyde Oxidoreductases↗

Effects of exogenous amines on mammalian cells, with particular reference to membrane flow.

We have reviewed the evidence that amines accumulate in intracellular vesicles of low pH, such as lysosomes and endosomes. There is consequent elevation of intravesicular pH, and inhibition of receptor-ligand dissociation often results from this pH change. We have argued that the capacity for fusion of such vesicles is also reduced by the high pH. We suggest that the variety of effects of amines on membrane flow and macromolecular transport we describe are at least partly due to such reduced fusion (Figs. 1 and 2). We propose that an internal low pH may facilitate heterologous vesicle-vesicle and vesicle-plasma membrane fusion. There is some evidence that clathrin can accelerate phospholipid vesicle fusion in vitro at low pH (Blumenthal et al., 1983) but no direct evidence on the role of intravesicular pH. This idea is consistent not only with the preceding discussion, but also with the fact that the intracellular membrane-bound compartments least involved in fusion events (e.g. mitochondria) are of neutral or alkaline internal pH. Membrane fusion is certainly required for the formation of vesicles at the periphery of the Golgi apparatus, and possibly earlier in the transport and processing of biosynthetic products in the Golgi (Bergeron et al., 1982). Thus the accumulation of amines in the Golgi may be responsible for several effects on the flow of macromolecules along their translocation pathways. The status of the plasma membrane in this view is complex. It might be argued that the pH dictating the fusion step in endocytosis is that of the extracellular fluid, in which case the inhibitory effects of amines on this process are not explained. However, the rapidity of acidification of the newly formed endocytic vesicles allows the possibility that plasma membrane invaginations might temporarily sequester areas which are of lower pH than that of the bulk extracellular fluid even before fusion, since the proton pumping enzyme(s) are probably present on the plasma membrane. Were this the case, then an acid pH could again be a factor determining membrane fusion at the plasma membrane. The inhibition of endocytosis by weak bases thus may again reflect elevation of pH in a sequestered compartment. From the data on the dependence of response on the concentration of amines, we anticipate that most responses involving membrane flow will be biphasic, with inhibitory effects at low amine concentration, giving way to stimulatory ones at higher concentrations. We suggest that the reported dichotomy between different amines in intracellular membrane fusion systems (D'Arcy Hart, 1982) may result from this concentration dependence.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Amines↗

Effects of weakly basic amines on proteolytic processing and terminal glycosylation of secretory proteins in cultured rat hepatocytes.

We examined the effects of weakly basic amines on the secretion and post-translational modifications of secretory proteins in cultured rat hepatocytes. Weakly basic amines such as methylamine, chloroquine and NH4Cl strongly inhibited not only protein secretion, but also the proteolytic conversion of a proform of complement C3, allowing the precursor to be released into the medium. The amines, however, had no effect on the proteolytic conversion of prohaptoglobin into its subunits. Since available evidence indicates that the conversion of pro-C3 occurs at the Golgi complex while that of prohaptoglobin takes place in the endoplasmic reticulum, it is most likely that the weak bases specifically affect the proteolytic event occurring at the Golgi complex. Electron microscopic observations confirmed that the amines caused morphological changes of the Golgi complex, consisting of dilated cisternae and swollen vacuoles. When the glycosylation of alpha 1-protease inhibitor and haptoglobin was examined, it was found that the amines caused a marked accumulation in the cells of both glycoproteins corresponding to the mature secreted forms. Neuraminidase digestion demonstrated that the glycoproteins accumulating in response to the amines had acquired terminal sialic acid. The results indicate that the amines do not significantly affect terminal glycosylation, in contrast with their definite effect on proteolytic processing, despite the fact that both modifications take place in the Golgi complex.

Amines↗

Plasma semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase activity is elevated in diabetes mellitus and correlates with glycosylated haemoglobin.

1. Semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase is a common name for a group of heterogeneous amine oxidases which are present in various mammalian tissues, especially in vascular smooth muscle cells, cartilage and adipose tissue, but also in plasma. 2. Plasma semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase activity was elevated in a group of 104 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus compared with normal control subjects (555 +/- 172 versus 352 +/- 102 m-units/l, P < 0.0005). 3. Plasma semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase activity was higher in subgroups with either retinopathy or nephropathy or both [583 +/- 116 (n = 34), 581 +/- 229 (n = 10) and 646 +/- 249 m-units/l (n = 19), respectively] than in the subgroup without overt complications [486 +/- 129 m-units/l (n = 41), P < 0.005]. 4. Plasma semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase activity was positively correlated with plasma glycosylated haemoglobin (r = 0.40; P < 0.0001) and with log urinary albumin excretion (r = 0.26; P < 0.025). 5. The possibility that semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase, by its conversion of endogenous amines like methylamine and aminoacetone into cytotoxic aldehydes, plays a role in the development of microvascular complications in diabetes mellitus, needs further investigation.

Adult↗

Evolution of microbial populations and biogenic amine production in dry sausages produced in Southern Italy.

AIMS: To evaluate the occurrence and evolution of biogenic amines during ripening of fermented sausages and their relationship with physico-chemical and microbiological properties of the product. METHODS AND RESULTS: Salsiccia and Soppressata were obtained from artisanal and industrial plants in Basilicata and pH, aW, microbial counts and biogenic amine content were measured. A high variability in amine content was observed. 2-Phenylethylamine and histamine were rarely found, while the tyramine, putrescine and cadaverine content increased during ripening. No correlation was found between individual biogenic amine content, microbial counts or physico-chemical parameters. CONCLUSION: Starter cultures did not necessarily prevent the production of biogenic amines whose total contents were usually higher in Soppressata, a product with a larger diameter and aW compared with Salsiccia. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Literature findings on biogenic amine content and the evolution of microbial populations were confirmed. Normal ranges for amine content in Salsiccia and Soppressata are reported.

Biogenic Amines↗

Inactivation of copper-containing amine oxidases by turnover products.

For bovine serum amine oxidase, two different mechanisms of substrate-induced inactivation have been proposed. One consists of a slow oxidation by H2O2 of a conserved residue in the reduced enzyme after the fast turnover phase [Pietrangeli, P., Nocera, S., Fattibene, P., Wang, X.T., Mondovì, B. & Morpurgo, L. (2000) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.267, 174-178] and the other of the oxidation by H2O2 of the dihydrobenzoxazole in equilibrium with the product Schiff base, during the catalytic cycle [Lee, Y., Shepard, E., Smith, J., Dooley, D.M. & Sayre, L.M. (2001) Biochemistry40, 822-829]. To discriminate between the two mechanisms, the inactivation was studied using Lathyrus cicera (red vetchling) amine oxidase. This, in contrast to bovine serum amine oxidase, formed the Cu+-semiquinolamine radical with a characteristic UV-vis spectrum when oxygen was exhausted by an excess of any tested amine in a closed cuvette. The inactivation, lasting about 90 min, was simultaneous with the radical decay and with the formation of a broad band (shoulder) at 350 nm. No inactivation occurred when a thousand-fold excess of amine was rapidly oxidized in an L. cicera amine oxidase solution stirred in open air. Thus, the inactivation is a slow reaction of the reduced enzyme with H2O2, following the turnover phase. Catalase protected L. cicera amine oxidase from inactivation. This effect was substrate-dependent, varying from full protection (benzylamine) to no protection (putrescine). In the absence of H2O2, a specific inactivating reaction, without formation of the 350 nm band, was induced by some aldehydes, notably putrescine. Some mechanisms of inactivation are proposed.

Amine Oxidase (Copper-Containing)↗

N-sulphoconjugation of amines by human cytosolic hydroxysteroid sulphotransferase.

1. N- and O-sulphoconjugation of various substrates were studied with human liver cytosol and purified cytosolic sulphotransferase in the presence of 3-phosphoadenosine 5-phosphosulphate. 2. Human liver cytosol catalysed N-sulphoconjugation of alicyclic and aryl-amines, and O-sulphoconjugation of hydroxysteroid and phenol. Activities of amine sulphoconjugation in the cytosol correlated well with those of hydroxysteroid but not with phenol. 3. Alicyclic amine sulphotransferase in human liver cytosol was purified to homogeneity by anion exchange, affinity and hydroxyapatite chromatography. Sulphoconjugating activities of alicyclic amine co-purified with those for hydroxysteroid conjugation. Subunit molecular weight of the purified sulphotransferase was 34 kDa. Contents of the purified enzyme correlated with the sulphoconjugating activities of hydroxysteroid and alicyclic amine. From these results, we concluded that the alicyclic amine sulphotransferase purified in this study was identical to hydroxysteroid sulphotransferse in human liver cytosol. 4. The results of this study indicate that hydroxysteroid sulphotransferase in human liver cytosol catalyses N-sulphoconjugation of alicyclic and aryl-amines. Hydroxysteroid sulphotransferase in the cytosol is reported to catalyse O-sulphoconjugations of various compounds including hydroxysteroids, bile acids, cholesterol, and aliphatic and benzylic alcohols. The present and previously reported results indicate that hydroxysteroid sulphotransferase in the cytosol catalyses both N- and O-sulphoconjugations of several substrates.

Amines↗

Determination of aliphatic amines in air by on-line solid-phase derivatization with HPLC-UV/FL.

An easy, rapid, and efficient method using on-line solid-phase derivatization in HPLC is developed for the trace determination of aliphatic amines in air. Some fundamental studies on stop-flow, on-line, solid-phase derivatizations in HPLC are also investigated, such as optimization of the reaction detection HPLC system and band broadening. Air is sampled with silica gel tubes from different sites, including sewage areas, fish cleaning and processing rooms, and an organoleptic lab of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The trapped amines are desorbed with an acidic aqueous-organic solution, followed by pH adjustment of the eluates to pH 10. The resulting solution is directly injected into an on-line, precolumn, solid-phase derivatization and reversed-phase HPLC-UV/FL system, not requiring any further sample workup steps. The percent derivatizations are as high as 88 +/- 5% (n = 3) for primary amines, and 75 +/- 4% (n = 3) for diethylamine under optimized conditions (60 degrees C for 10 min). The recoveries for all amines are above 90%. The method is validated by a single-blind, spiked experiment with 1.1-4.4% relative standard deviation (RSD) in the range of 15-47 ppm. These results are confirmed by a GC-FID method performed in another lab. Amines are quantitated via calibration plots, with final concentrations from 0.02 to 0.38 mg/m3 air. It is suggested that this newer approach for the determination of amines and polyamines, using polymeric solid-phase reagents on-line, precolumn in HPLC, should prove generally successful for other amines and other sample types in the future.

Air↗

The effect of different amines added to eluents as silanol masking agents on the chromatographic behavior of some diuretics in reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography using C18 packings.

A preliminary gradient separation in reversed-phase liquid chromatography of a mixture of 25 solutes (diuretics, probenecide, and atenolol) is carried out using several C18 columns and an aqueous phosphoric acid solution (pH 3.2)-acetonitrile mobile phase as a control. Using this separation, the chromatographic behavior of these solutes is studied using 11 water-soluble primary, secondary, and tertiary amine modifiers in the range of 0.7-7.5 mM and a Spherisorb C18 column. This study reveals the presence in the complex sample of two groups of solutes with positive (five typical solutes showed improvements in peak symmetry and retention) or negative responses using these amines as mobile phase modifiers. After experimentation in the presence of amines, these differences are related to solute structure. Hexylamine is found to be an effective masking agent of silanols because of its structure and small required concentration. On these bases, the silanophilic and hydrophobic character of typical solutes and several C18 packings are evaluated under isocratic elution and a relative effectiveness index for amines, and a method for their assessment is proposed. The role of the amine structure on solute retention and the importance of selecting amines of suitable hydrophobic character, molecular geometry, and concentration is discussed. A model of the formation and stabilization of the silanol-amine complex based on hydrophobic and ionic interactions is also proposed.

Amines↗

Heterocyclic amine content of cooked meat and risk of prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Some epidemiologic studies have described positive associations between prostate cancer risk and meat consumption, but underlying mechanisms have not been identified. Heterocyclic amines are mutagens formed during the cooking of meat. Well-done meat has been associated with increased risks of colorectal and breast cancers in humans. This study examined associations between prostate cancer risk and 1) estimated daily intake of heterocyclic amines from cooked meat and 2) level of cooked-meat doneness. METHODS: A population-based, case-control study involving 317 case patients with prostate cancer and 480 age-matched control subjects was carried out in Auckland, New Zealand. Levels of meat doneness and daily intake of heterocyclic amines were determined from self-reported dietary data and experimentally measured heterocyclic amine levels in locally sourced meat samples cooked under controlled conditions to varying degrees of doneness. RESULTS: The heterocyclic amines found in the highest concentrations in meat samples were 2-amino-1,6-dimethylfuro[3,2-e]imidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (IFP) and 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo [4,5-b]pyridine (PhIP) from well-done chicken and pork and very well-done beefsteak. Meat doneness was weakly and inconsistently associated with prostate cancer risk for individual types of meat, but increased risk was observed for well-done beefsteak (relative risk = 1.68; 95% confidence interval = 1.02-2.77; two-sided P for trend =.03). A weak positive gradient of increased risk was associated with estimated daily exposure to IFP but not with the other major heterocyclic amines. CONCLUSIONS: Meat doneness and estimated intake of heterocyclic amines from cooked meat were not clearly associated with prostate cancer risk.

Adult↗

Induction of cytochrome P450 isoforms by carcinogenic aromatic amines and carcinogenic susceptibility of rodent animals.

Hepatocarcinogenic aromatic amines such as 4-aminoazobenzene derivatives and heterocyclic aromatic amines of cooked food origin were found to be liver-selective cytochrome P450IAZ (CYP1A2) inducers. Each aromatic amine showed different species-specificity among rodent experimental animals in terms of the extent of P450 induction. Carcinogenic susceptibility of an animal to the amine was well correlated with the activity and/or inducibility of CYP1A2 in the animals in the early initiation phase of the carcinogenesis. In hyperplastic nodules of rat liver, expression and induction of CYP1A2 as suppressed, especially in the placental form of glutathione S-transferase-positive foci. Despite the decrease of P450s including CYP1A2 in the rat liver bearing hyperplastic nodules. DNA adducts formed by a carcinogenic aromatic amine increased, as compared to the controls, suggesting that the activity of DNA repair enzyme(s) for the amine-derived DNA adducts might decrease in the hyperplastic nodules of rat liver. Treatment of rats with lead nitrate revealed a pattern of P450 expression in the liver similar to that observed with rats bearing hyperplastic nodules. These findings may provide valuable information on the roles of P450s in carcinogenic susceptibility of animals to aromatic amines and in the carcinogenic process.

Amines↗

Effects of a haloalkylamine on responses to and disposition of sympathomimetic amines.

1. The mechanisms by which a haloalkylamine (GD-131) alters the inactivation of and potentiates responses to certain sympathomimetic amines, and the relationship of these actions to the similar effects of cocaine were investigated in rabbit aortic strips. The technique of oil immersion was used to assess rates of amine inactivation.2. Exposures to GD-131, which produced no detectable alpha-adrenergic blockade, markedly slowed the inactivation of noradrenaline. It was concluded that it is unnecessary to postulate a role of adrenergic receptors in the inactivation of catecholamines to account for the reported effects of haloalkylamines on amine output during adrenergic nerve stimulation.3. The reduction in the rate of noradrenaline inactivation produced by moderate exposure to GD-131 was approximately equivalent to that due to inhibition of both monoamine oxidase (MAO) and catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT). Addition of GD-131 did not further slow inactivation in preparations in which MAO and COMT had been inhibited, but the effects of both GD-131 and of enzyme inhibition on noradrenaline disposition were additive with that of cocaine.4. Cocaine consistently inhibited and GD-131 markedly potentiated responses to tyramine. The augmentation of responses by GD-131 was much greater than could be accounted for by the slight release of endogenous catecholamine by this agent. Thus the principal effect of the haloalkylamine appears not to involve inhibition of nerve cell membrane transport of amine.5. Maximal exposure to GD-131 short of that which produced alpha-adrenergic blockade sometimes slowed the inactivation of noradrenaline as much as did inhibition of both MAO and COMT plus the maximal effect of cocaine.6. These results seem best explained by postulating that GD-131 and other haloalkylamines inhibit the passage of sympathomimetic amines through biological membranes. Passage to sites of enzymatic inactivation, predominantly in non-neuronal tissue, is most readily inhibited. The "cocaine-sensitive mechanism," transport to sites of binding and storage, can also be inhibited, but is considerably less sensitive.7. GD-131 potentiated responses to noradrenaline more than did the maximally effective concentration of cocaine. Cocaine produced very little additional potentiation when added in the presence of GD-131, whereas the latter had a reduced, but still significant effect in the presence of cocaine. Most of the effect of cocaine and at least half of that of GD-131 was due to a common action on effector cells, which is unrelated to any alteration of amine disposition. The balance of the potentiation by GD-131 may be due to inhibition of access of amine to sites of enzymatic inactivation, perhaps involving a reduction in the volume of distribution in intracellular water, and a very small part of the potentiation by cocaine may be secondary to inhibition of transport of amine to sites of binding and storage.8. On the basis of the present observations, it is postulated that a major part of the noradrenaline released by adrenergic nerve activity is involved in the activation of tissue receptors and has its action terminated by movement away from the region of the receptors. A small portion of the mediator is removed by the circulation, some is taken up by adrenergic nerves, but the major part enters non-nervous cells and is distributed in intracellular water. The capacity of this intracellular compartment appears to be limited and enzymatic inactivation is essential to maintain its function. O-methylation is the dominant primary enzymatic process in the inactivation of physiological amounts of noradrenaline, but MAO appears to function "in series" as an effective alternate pathway of disposition.

Amines↗

Incorporation of biogenic amines into phospholipids studied in two-phase-system.

Phospholipids (PL) from splenic nerves, splenic nerve granules, adrenal medullary granules and egg yolk were used as binding ligands for studies on uptake of various biogenic amines. Efficient uptake of catecholamine (CA) occurred at low ionic strength (about 2-5 mM) and at pH 6.8-7.7. This uptake was also a function of the amine concentration in the aqueous medium. At higher ionic strength (e.g. 128 mM K-phosphate buffer) an uptake still occurred, but to considerably less extent, apparently since the association/dissociation ability of the amines within the PL was a function of cation concentration in the aqueous media. Sucrose- and dextrose-induced increase in the osmolarity of the aqueous medium did not to any appreciable extent reduce the CA uptake. Scatchard plot indicated that only one type of binding sites was engaged when PL from splenic nerves was used. Using PL from splenic nerves the following affinity order was obtained for the amine tested: 5-HT greater than TA greater than DA greater than NA greater than IP greater than A. When PL from medullary granules was used the order was: DA greater than IP greater than A greater than or equal to NA. No or negligible uptake of Dopa and its metabolites Doma and Dopac occurred. When added to the aqueous medium, the cationic amphiphilic detergent CTAB induced some uptake of Doma and Dopac, but no a Dopa. However, CTAB considerably diminished the uptake of NA and the other amines. On the other hand, ionic (DOC) and anionic (SDS) detergents strongly increased the uptake of NA and other amines into PL. The nonionic Triton X-100 was without significant effect on uptake of NA. It is suggested that the binding ligands may be present in the dipolar head of the PL molecules, particularly in the lipid phosphate group. The lipid protein may also be partially involved since chromatographic experiments showed that the CA accompanied lipid phosphorus and lipid protein. Electrostatic or complex interaction of CA within the polar head group or in conjunction with lipid protein would constitute an amine storage with efficient association/dissociation capacity.

Adrenal Medulla↗