Catecholamine levels in newborn human plasma in normal and abnormal conditions and in maternal plasma at delivery.

High levels of catecholamines have been found in plasma from the umbilical cord of newborn infants, suggesting a release of catecholamine from the fetus during parturition. Plasma catecholamine levels are also elevated in mothers at delivery.     

Determination of plasma catecholamines in conscious normotensive and hypertensive (sodium and desoxycorticosterone) rats]

Plasma noradrenaline and adrenaline were measured in conscious Rats on 50 microliter samples by a radiometric technique. In normotensive Rats a moderate haemorrhage increased catecholamine levels. In Rats rendered hypertensive by salt loading and by desoxycorticosterone treatment noradrenaline levels were increased.     

Catecholamines in adult iron deficiency patients.

Patients with iron deficiency whether uncomplicated or associated with other types of anemias, had plasma catecholamine levels which were significantly increased above normal controls. Patients with a variety of other anemias had no significant increase in catecholamine levels. Plasma catecholamine levels in uncomplicated iron deficient patients approached normal values as early as 3 h following oral FeSO4.     

Catecholamines in adult iron deficiency patients

Summary Patients with iron deficiency whether uncomplicated or associated with other types of anemias, had plasma catecholamine levels which were significantly increased above normal controls. Patients with a variety of other anemias had no significant increase in catecholamine levels. Plasma catecholamine levels in uncomplicated iron deficient patients approached normal values as early as 3 h following oral FeSO₄.Acknowledgment. Funded in part by an NIH grant No. R01 HL 19933.     

Plasma catecholamines in children

Summary Plasma catecholamine concentrations in 46 children of various ages were determined by a sensitive radioenzymatic assay. Noradrenaline levels were found to be in the same range as in adults, whereas adrenaline levels in a few of the children were abnormally high.     

Microspectrophotometric study of biogenic amines in ganglions of the central nervous system of Crepidula fornicata (Phil.)]

The fluorescent products formed from biogenic amines treated with formaldehyde according to the method of Falck and Owman have been studied in the brain of Crepidula fornicata. The microspectrophotometric analysis of cellular indolamines shows excitation emission maxima at 385--525 nm (serotonine) and catecholamine at 410--475 nm upon HCl treatment catecholamine products show a shift of the excitation peak from 410 to 370 nm (dopamine).     

Ethanol-induced changes in plasma glucose,insulin and glucagon in fed and fasted rats

Summary Orally administered ethanol produced dose-related suppression of IRI levels and elevation of IRG levels in fed and fasting rats. Plasma glucose levels were unaffected in the fasting rats, but a moderate hyperglycemic response accompanied the decline in IRI and the rise in IRG observed in the fed rats.This research was supported in part by a grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (AA-3218) and by a supplemental grant from the National Council on Alcoholism.     

Effects of neurochemical lesions restricted to spinal cord monoaminergic neurons on blood pressure and sympathetic activity of spontaneously hypertensive rats

Intraspinal (i.s.) injection of 6-hydroxydopamine or 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine in newborn spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) resulted, in the adult animal (30-week-old), in a marked decrease of spinal cord noradrenaline (NA) or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) levels, respectively. Since both neurotoxin- and vehicle-injected rats developed full hypertension and had similar plasma catecholamine concentrations, it is concluded that in SHR neither spinal cord NA nor 5-HT play a major role in development and maintenance of hypertension.     

Pharmakologische Untersuchungen bei Thiaminmangel I. Änderungen des Katecholamingehalts im Gewebe

Summary (1) The increased tissue catecholamine level of the thiamine deficient rat was shown in the atrium, the ventricle, the brain cortex and in the spleen but not in the brain stem and the adrenal gland. (2) The increased response to tyramine of the thiamine deficient heart is most probably due to the high catecholamine level caused by thiamine deficiency. (3) The increased catecholamine content in the thiamine deficient rat does not result from the increased pyruvic acid.

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Herrn Professor Dr.F. Th. von Brücke zum 60. Geburtstag im Januar 1968 gewidmet.     

Opposite effect of PGE2 on cAMP levels in human adrenal medulla and pheochromocytoma.

PGE2 (10(-7) M) caused increased cAMP accumlation in 5 pheochromocytomas, while in 3 human adrenal medullae PGE2 caused a significant decrease of cAMP level on incubating slices in vitro. This finding is discussed in relation to the opposite effect of PGE2 on catecholamine release from human medulla and pheochromocytoma slices in vitro.     

Ouabain-induced release of extraneuronal catecholamine in the isolated guinea-pig vas deferens

Summary It was found that ouabain (10^–5 M) was effective in releasing the extraneuronal catecholamine which was taken up by uptake₂ process in the guinea-pig vas deferens. This result shows that a Na–K ATPase is essential for the storage of catecholamine in the extraneuronal site.     

Moderate cooling depresses the accumulation and the release of newly synthesized catecholamines in isolated canine saphenous veins

Moderate cooling (from 37 degrees to 24 degrees C) depressed the formation of 3H-dopamine and 3H-norepinephrine from 3H-tyrosine by isolated canine saphenous veins. Cooling reduced the evoked release of newly synthesized catecholamine to the same extent as that of stored norepinephrine. Hence the augmentation by cold of the contractile response to sympathetic nerve stimulation observed in earlier work is not accompanied by an augmented release of newly synthesized norepinephrine.     

Histochemische Untersuchungen über den Einfluss von Iproniazid (Marsilid) auf die durch Reserpin erzeugte Freisetzung von Adrenalin und Noradrenalin aus dem Nebennierenmark

Summary A single injection of 10 mg/kg reserpine causes marked decrease of catecholamine in the medulla of the adrenal gland of rats. Histochemically, this can be shown by the disappearance of chromaffinity and of the potassium iodate reaction. After pretreatment with 100 mg/kg of iproniazid, reserpine injection induces little or no decrease in the histochemical reactions of adrenalin and noradrenalin. In animals pretreated with equimolar doses of isoniazid, however, histochemical catecholamine reactions are well preserved in all cells of the adrenal medulla. These results suggest that monoamine oxidase plays a part in the reserpine-induced release of catecholamine.     

Digoxin distribution between plasma and myocardium in hypoxic and non-hypoxic dogs

Summary The relationship between plasma and myocardial digoxin concentrations was investigated in hypoxic and nonhypoxic dogs. The results indicate that hypoxic dogs have lower plasma levels, higher myocardial levels, and an altered myocardial distribution when compared to non-hypoxic dogs.     

Erythropoiesis and plasma tocopherol levels in irradiated mice

Summary Plasma protein and tocopherol concentrations, haematocrit and 59-iron incorporation into erythrocytes have been measured in vitamin E-deficient and supplemented mice before and after exposure to 500 R of 260 kVp X-ray. Supplemented animals had greater haematocrit, plasma tocopherol and protein levels initially. After irradiation plasma tocopherol concentration decreased drastically in the vitamin E-supplemented mice.     

The effects of continuous chloroform and halothane anesthesia on plasma prolactin levels in ovariectomized estrogen-treated rats

Summary In ovariectomized, estrogen-treated rats bearing indwelling aortic catheters, continuous inhalation of chloroform or halothane resulted in increases in plasma prolactin levels 10 min after the exposure to the anesthetics. The plasma prolactin levels over the subsequent 2 h, however, were not significantly different from that of the control animals.Supported by NSF Research Grant BMS 74-17332.The authors wish to express their appreciation to Mrs Cynthia Van De Walle for her outstanding assistance in the performance of the prolactin RIA and the art work.     

Muscarinic involvement in vascular and adrenal medullary responses to splanchnic nerve stimulation in conscious calves

Stimulation of the peripheral end of the right splanchnic nerve (4 Hz for 10 min) in the presence of hexamethonium caused a small but significant rise in mean aortic blood pressure which was subsequently abolished by atropine. There were also small but significant increases in the outputs of catecholamines, [Met⁵]-enkephalins and corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF) from the right adrenal gland. The catecholamine response was roughly halved after atropine while the outputs of enkephalins and CRF were unaffected. It is concluded that splanchnic sympathetic postganglionic neurones supplying the vasculature are completely blocked by cholinergic blockade whereas adrenal medullary responses persist in an attenuated form.     

Erythrocyte catechol-0-methyltransferase and plasma dopamine-beta-hydroxylase in human umbilical cord blood

Plasma dopamine-beta-hydroxylase enzymatic activity and immunoreactive protein levels in human umbilical cord blood are only about 2% as great as values in the blood of older subjects. Erythrocyte catechol-0-methyltransferase activity levels in umbilical cord blood are very similar to those in the blood of adult subjects.     

Effect of centrally active drugs on dopamine oxidation by rat brain catecholamine oxidase

Summary Centrally active drugs of the phenothiazine-, butyrophenone- and iminodibenzyl class markedly decreased the rate of dopamine oxidation in the presence of rat brain catecholamine oxidase.The financial support from Gotfred Lie and Marie Lie's Fond is gratefully acknowledged.     

Opposite effect of PGE2 on cAMP levels in human adrenal medulla and pheochromocytoma

Summary PGE₂ (10^–7 M) caused increased cAMP accumulation in 5 pheochromocytomas, while in 3 human adrenal medullae PGE₂ caused a significant decrease of cAMP level on incubating slices in vitro. This finding is discussed in relation to the opposite effect of PGE₂ on catecholamine release from human medulla and pheochromocytoma slices in vitro.Acknowledgment. This paper is part of a Ph. D. thesis of Punya Boonyaviroj.Established Investigator of the Chief Scientist's Bureau, Israeli Ministry of Health.