The Metabolism of Dopamine by Both Forms of Monoamine Oxidase in the Rat Brain and Its Inhibition by Cimoxatone

In the rat brain, dopamine is metabolised by both A and B forms of monoamine oxidase (MAO), although the A form of the enzyme is the major component. The Km of MAO-A toward dopamine (120 microM) is lower than the Km of MAO-B toward this substrate (340 microM). The activity of MAO-A was lower in old rats than in young rats, and the same degree of decrease was found for 5-hydroxytryptamine as for dopamine as substrates for this enzyme form. The activity of MAO-B was higher in the old rats, the degree of increase being the same for dopamine as for beta-phenethylamine as substrates for this enzyme form. The Ki values of the inhibition of MAO-A by cimoxatone and MD770222 (the principal plasma metabolite of cimoxatone) were independent of the substrate used to assay for activity, but were lower than the Ki values for the inhibition of MAO-B by these compounds.     

Deamination of 5-Hydroxytryptamine by Both Forms of Monoamine Oxidase in the Rat Brain

Abstract: K _m and V _max values of monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B towards 5-hydroxytryptamine were determined for rat brain homogenates after the in vitro inhibition of one of the two forms by the selective inhibitors clorgyline and l -deprenyl. K _m values of 178 and 1170μ m , and V _max values of 0.73 and 0.09 nmol·mg protein⁻¹·min⁻¹ towards 5-hydroxytryptamine were found for MAO-A and -B, respectively. The K ₁ for 5-hydroxytryptamine as a competitive inhibitor of β-phenethylamine oxidation by MAO-B was found to be 1400 μm. The significance of these findings is discussed.     

Differential Effects of Angiotensin II and Eledoisin on Monoamine Oxidase A and B Activities in Rat Brain

Intracerebroventricular injections of angiotensin II caused 108, 62, and 54% increases in monoamine oxidase A activities in rat hippocampus, hypothalamus, and striatum, respectively. These activatory effects were abolished by simultaneous injections of eledoisin. No significant changes of monoamine oxidase B activities were found under the same experimental conditions. Neither angiotensin II nor elodoisin changed substrate/inhibitor affinities of both isoenzymes. These data indicate that angiotensin II and tachykinin transmitter systems may exert opposite, long-term regulatory effects on monoaminergic neurons in rat brain.     

Monoamine Oxidase Activity of Mitochondria Prepared from Rat Liver and Rat Heart

Abstract: The effect of agents that change the respiratory state of the mitochondrion on tyramine oxidation was investigated. Neither uncoupler nor ADP and P_t in the presence of substrate produced any change in the rate of tyramine oxidation, as judged by direct measurement of tyramine oxidation or by H₂O₂ production. We conclude that previously reported depression of monoamine oxidase activity by stimulated respiration was due to oxygen depletion.     

The Novel Neuropsychotropic Agent Milacemide Is a Specific Enzyme-Activated Inhibitor of Brain Monoamine Oxidase B

The novel neuropsychotropic agent milacemide hydrochloride (2-n-pentylaminoacetamide HCl) is a highly selective substrate of the B form of monoamine oxidase (EC 1.4.3.4; MAO). Under the in vitro conditions used in the present study, milacemide acts as an enzyme-activated, partially reversible inhibitor of MAO-B. A reversible inhibition of MAO-A activity is also observed at high concentrations. The inhibitory activity of milacemide is significantly greater for MAO-B. In vivo, after single or repeated oral administration, a specific inhibition of MAO-B is apparent in brain and liver, with a lack of inhibition of the MAO-A activity. In contrast to the irreversible inhibitory action of L-deprenyl, the recovery of MAO-B activity in vivo after milacemide administration is significantly faster, a result suggesting that it is a partially reversible inhibitor. The selective inhibitory effect of milacemide for MAO-B in vivo is confirmed by its potentiation of phenylethylamine-induced stereotyped behavior, whereas vasopressor responses to tyramine were not affected. These observations suggest that milacemide could enhance dopaminergic activity in the brain and could be used as therapy for Parkinson's disease in association with L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine.     

Changes in Monoamine Oxidase Activity in Rat Brain During Alloxan Diabetes

Abstract: The effect of alloxan diabetes on the activity of monoamine oxidase was studied in three regions of the rat brain at various time intervals after the onset of diabetes. It was observed that monoamine oxidase activity was decreased at early time intervals after diabetes, followed by a recovery in all three regions of the brain. A reversal of the effect was observed with insulin administration to the diabetic rats.     

A and B Forms of Monoamine Oxidase Within the Monoaminergic Neurons of the Rat Brain

The inhibition of the A and B forms of monoamine oxidase (MAO) inside and outside serotonergic, noradrenergic, and dopaminergic synaptosomes in homogenates of rat hypothalamus or striatum by clorgyline, a selective and irreversible MAO-A inhibitor, and selegiline, a selective and irreversible MAO-B inhibitor, was examined. Intrasynaptosomal deamination at low concentrations of the substrates [14C]5-hydroxytryptamine ([14C]5-HT; 0.1 microM), [14C]noradrenaline (0.25 microM), [14C]3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylamine ([14C]dopamine; 0.25 microM), and [14C]tyramine (0.25 microM) was hindered by selective uptake inhibitors (citalopram, maprotiline, and amfonelic acid) in the incubation media. Thus, the difference between the deamination of 14C-amine in the absence and presence of the appropriate selective uptake inhibitor provided a measure of deamination in the specific aminergic synaptosomes. This was verified by determining the loss of MAO activity within noradrenergic and serotonergic systems after degeneration of the nerve terminals by the neurotoxins N-chloroethyl-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine and p-chloroamphetamine. Results with the two inhibitors revealed that the A and B forms were responsible for 80 and 20%, respectively, of the deamination of [14C]5-HT within serotonergic synaptosomes from the hypothalamus. The deamination of [14C]noradrenaline within the noradrenergic synaptosomes from the hypothalamus and that of [14C]dopamine and [14C]tyramine within the striatal dopaminergic synaptosomes were due to MAO-A. About 10% of the deamination of [14C]noradrenaline, [14C]dopamine, and [14C]tyramine outside the noradrenergic or dopaminergic synaptosomes was brought about by the B form, with the remainder being deaminated by MAO-A.     

Selective Effects of Neonatal Hypothyroidism on Monoamine Oxidase Activities in the Rat Brain

Hypothyroidism of mild intensity was obtained with prenatal and neonatal submission of Long-Evans rats to an iodide-rich diet. Chronic daily administration of methimazole to iodide-supplemented Long-Evans pups or to iodine-deprived Charles-River rats through the first 29–30 days of age provoked severe hypothyroidism. Monoamine oxidase type A (MAO-A) and not type B (MAO-B) activity was consistently, although slightly (by approximately 20%), increased in the hypothyroid brain. Triiodothyronine (T₃)-induced hyperthyroidism did not affect MAO activity. Replacement therapy with T₃ did not normalize MAO-A activity in hypothyroidism. Methimazole displayed a competitive and reversible in vitro inhibition of MAO-A but not MAO-B activity. Although this effect was obtained at concentrations far higher than those estimated to reach the brain after a single injection of the goiterogen, the occurrence of accumulation processes in the metabolism-deficient hypothyroid neonate rs cannot be excluded. Thus, MAO-A activity might be either directly depressed during the goiterogenic treatment, or increased as the result of some kind of rebound effect after interruption of methimazole administration.     

Dopamine Sulfoconjugation in the Rat Brain: Regulation by Monoamine Oxidase

An increase of free 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylamine (DA, dopamine) in the rat brain such as is found following 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-DOPA) administration or an intraventricular injection of free dopamine did not result in DA sulfate formation, despite the presence of phenolsulfotransferase activity in various regions of the brain and the high affinity of DA for this enzyme. However, when rats were pretreated with pargyline, a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, the same treatment with L-DOPA or free DA led to active synthesis of DA sulfate. The increase in DA sulfate was significantly correlated with the degree of monoamine oxidase inhibition and directly proportional to free DA concentrations in the hypothalamus (r = 0.86), striatum (r = 0.54), and brainstem (r = 0.89). The highest ratio of DA sulfate to free DA was found in the hypothalamus, suggesting that sulfoconjugation is most active in this region. Prior treatment of rats with 6-hydroxydopamine did not decrease DA sulfate concentrations, indicating that sulfoconjugation occurs most likely in extraneuronal tissues not destroyed by the neurotoxin. The results are compatible with the notion that phenolsulfotransferase may be highly compartmentalized and that inhibition of monoamine oxidase allows the newly generated free DA to become accessible to the sulfoconjugating enzyme, resulting in increase in DA sulfation.     

Gonadal Influences on the Sexual Differentiation of Monoamine Oxidase Type A and B Activities in the Rat Brain

Abstract: The sex-dependent differentiation of monoamine oxidase (MAO) in the hypothalamus of 60-day-old, Charles River rats was found to involve only type A (MAO-A), and not type B (MAO-B) enzyme. In vivo inhibition of type A by clorgyline, and type B by (−)deprenyl, however, tended to decrease the specific activity of both types of MAO to a smaller extent in the female than in the male hypothalamus. When masculinization was prevented by neonatal administration of estradiol (E) to males, hypothalamic MAO-A and MAO-B activities increased in both control and MAO-inhibited rats. Androgenization of females, however, had little effect on the MAO activity. Whereas the effects of neonatal estrogenization were attributable neither to a direct influence of E nor to a sexual difference in the peripheral clearance of the MAO-inhibitor used, single, high doses of steroids to adult, but not to newborn rats, did acutely affect the kinetics of MAO-A. The activity of MAO-A was also decreased by high concentrations of E or TS in vitro. The imprinting for patterns of hypothalamic MAO-A and MAO-B in the two sexes results, probably, from genetic predetermination. Neonatal changes in the homeostasis of gonadal hormones may result in type-MAO nonspecific effects in adulthood, whereas the short-term effects of high concentrations of steroids may be selective for the A form.     

Formation of the Neurotransmitter Glycine from the Anticonvulsant Milacemide Is Mediated by Brain Monoamine Oxidase B

Milacemide (2-n-pentylaminoacetamide) is a secondary monoamine that in the brain is converted to glycinamide and glycine. This oxidative reaction was suspected to involve the reaction of monoamine oxidase (MAO). Using mitochondrial preparations from tissues that contain MAO-A and -B (rat brain and liver), MAO-A (human placenta), and MAO-B (human platelet and bovine adrenal chromaffin cell), it has been established that mitochondria containing MAO-B rather than MAO-A oxidize (H2O2 production and glycinamide formation) milacemide. The apparent Km (30-90 microM) for milacemide oxidation by mitochondrial MAO-B preparations is significantly lower than that for milacemide oxidation by mitochondrial MAO-A (approximately 1,300 microM). In vitro MAO-B (l-deprenyl and AGN 1135) rather than MAO-A (clorgyline) selectively inhibited the oxidation of milacemide. These in vitro data are matched by ex vivo experiments where milacemide oxidation was compared to oxidation of serotonin (MAO-A) and beta-phenylethylamine (MAO-B) by brain mitochondria prepared from rats pretreated with clorgyline (0.5-10 mg/kg) and l-deprenyl (0.5-10 mg/kg). Furthermore, in vivo experiment demonstrated that l-deprenyl selectively increased the urinary excretion of [14C]milacemide and the total radioactivity with a concomitant decrease of [14C]glycinamide. Such changes were not observed after clorgyline treatment, but were evident only at doses beyond clorgyline selectivity. The present data therefore demonstrate that milacemide is a substrate for brain MAO-B, and its conversion to glycinamide, further transformed to the inhibitory neurotransmitter, glycine, mediated by this enzyme may contribute to its pharmacological activities.     

A Caution in the Use of Tritiated Substrates for Monoamine Oxidase Assays

Abstract: A monoamine oxidase assay utilizing generally labeled [³H]-serotonin as substrate became nonlinear after only ～5% conversion of initial c.p.m. to product. Subsequent analysis showed that a significant proportion of the tritium label was readily exchangeable into water and that monoamine oxidase activity increased release of label as water. The use of generally labeled substrates for oxidase activities is not recommended.     

Inhibition of Monoamine Oxidase by N-Methylisoquinolinium Ion

N-Methylisoquinolinium ion (N-MIQ) has been found to inhibit the biosynthesis of catecholamines; it inhibited tyrosine hydroxylase activity in striatal tissue slices. In this article, the effects of N-MIQ and an analogue, N-methylquinolinium ion, on monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity were examined to see their effects on the catabolism of catecholamines. MAO-A in human placental mitochondria was strongly inhibited by N-MIQ in competition with the substrate. The apparent Ki value of N-MIQ was found to be 20.4 +/- 1.1 microM, whereas that of N-methylquinolinium ion was 54.6 +/- 4.5 microM. MAO-B in human brain synaptosomes and liver mitochondria was found to be inhibited by N-MIQ, but the inhibition proved to be noncompetitive. The inhibition of MAO-B by N-MIQ was completely reversible by dialysis of the incubation mixture. MAO-A in human brain and liver mitochondria was more sensitive to the inhibitor than MAO-B. By quantitative analysis of N-MIQ, using HPLC, it was found not to be catabolized by the incubation with mitochondria, suggesting that the inhibition was due to N-MIQ itself and not due to any metabolic product. The inhibition of MAO by N-MIQ is discussed in terms of its possible involvement of the etiology of parkinsonism.     

Succinate Dehydrogenase, Monoamine Oxidase and Glutamine Synthetase in Developing Human Foetal Brain Regions

In human foetal brain ontogeny the cerebral activity of succinate oxidoreductase (EC 1.3.99.1), i.e. succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), is higher than the cerebellar activity. With rise in foetal body weight the activity in all the brain regions gradually declines. SDH in all the brain regions shows two high-activity periods, one at 20-35 g and another at 110-220 g body weight. The enzyme exhibits a craniocaudal pattern of development. At all times of gestation, L-glutamate:ammonia ligase (EC 6.3.1.2), i.e. glutamine synthetase, activity in the spinal cord and medulla is higher than in the other three regions. At 190 g body weight glutamine synthetase shows an activity peak in all brain regions. Monoamine:oxygen oxidoreductase (EC 1.4.3.4). i.e. monoamine oxidase (MAO), is present much before the onset of electrical activity. It develops caudocranially and exhibits a biphasic pattern of development in all the regions. It increases considerably in the medulla and the spinal core towards late gestational periods.     

Comparison of the Properties of Semipurified Mitochondrial and Cytosolic Monoamine Oxidases from Rat Brain

Mitochondrial and cytosolic monoamine oxidases were purified 220- and 129-fold, respectively, from rat brain. The purification procedure involved extraction (without the use of detergents for mitochondrial monoamine oxidase), ammonium sulfate precipitation, and chromatography on Sephadex G-25 and a DEAE-cellulose column. The properties of both enzymes with kynuramine as substrate, including Km values and pH optima at different kynuramine concentrations; the Rf values on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; and the thermal inactivation patterns were different. 2-Mercaptoethanol, together with heat treatment, released the flavin and decreased the enzyme activity differentially for the two enzymes. The absorption spectrum showed a "Red shift" in the absorption maxima when the spectra of the non-Triton-treated purified preparations were compared with those of the Triton-treated ones, thus possibly revealing that the mitochondrial and the cytosolic monoamine oxidases may be two different enzyme entities.     

Monoamine Oxidase in Rat and Bovine Endocrine

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) was characterized in tissue homogenates from rat pancreatic islets, rat neurohypophysis and adenohypophysis, and rat and bovine adrenal medulla and adrenal cortex. Phenylethylamine was preferentially deaminated by rat pancreatic islet and bovine adrenal medulla MAO and with slight preference by rat neurohypophysis MAO, whereas 5-hydroxytryptamine was preferentially deaminated by MAO from all other endocrine tissues. Tyramine was a good substrate for all tissues. Clorgyline, a selective inhibitor of MAO-A, preferentially inhibited deamination of 5-hydroxytryptamine by all tissue homogenates, whereas deprenyl, a selective inhibitor of MAO-B, preferentially inhibited deamination of phenylethylamine. Km values for 5-hydroxytryptamine and tyramine were higher by one to two decimal powers than for phenylethylamine in homogenates from all endocrine tissues. Km values were significantly lower for 5-hydroxytryptamine and significantly higher for phenylethylamine in rat and bovine adrenal cortex than in adrenal medulla. According to these results, the contributions of MAO-B to total enzyme activity were 70% for rat pancreatic islets, 45% for rat neurohypophysis, 15% for rat adenohypophysis, 20% for rat adrenal medulla, 10% for rat adrenal cortex, 60% for bovine adrenal medulla, and 20% for bovine adrenal cortex. PC 12 cells also contained predominantly MAO-A (90%); however, an increased Km for phenylethylamine and a sensitivity of deamination of this MAO-B substrate to inhibition by clorgyline are indicators of abnormal behavior of MAO in this clonal rat pheochromocytoma cell line.     

MDL 72145, an Enzyme-Activated Irreversible Inhibitor with Selectivity for Monoamine Oxidase Type B

Abstract: MDL 72145, ( E )-2-(3',4'-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-fluoroallylamine hydrochloride, was designed and synthesised as a potential enzyme-activated irreversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase (MAO). In vitro , the compound displayed time-dependent pseudo-first-order irreversible inhibitory characteristics with high selectivity for the B form of rat brain mitochondrial MAO At 10°C the K_t and T₅₀ values for the B enzyme were 40 μ M and 1.7 min, respectively, while these same kinetic constants for the A enzyme were 131 μ M and 14.5 mm, respectively. Selective protection against inactivation of the two forms of MAO by MDL 72145 was obtained by preincu-bating the enzyme with suitable concentrations of the selective A and B substrates, 5-hydroxytryptamine and benzylamine.     

Inhibition of Brain Type A Monoamine Oxidase and 5-Hydroxytryptamine Uptake by Two Amphetamine Metabolites, p-Hydroxyamphetamine and p-Hydroxynorephedrine

Two amphetamine metabolites, p-hydroxyamphetamine (p-OHA) and p-hydroxynorephedrine (p-OHN), selectively inhibited the A form of monoamine oxidase (MAO) in rat and mouse forebrain homogenates. Of these two metabolites, p-OHA inhibited MAO-A more strongly than p-OHN. This MAO-A-selective inhibition by p-OHA or p-OHN was found to be competitive with respect to deamination of its substrate, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT). The degree of MAO-A inhibition was not changed by 90 min of preincubation of the enzyme preparations with either metabolite, and the activity inhibited by p-OHA after the preincubation recovered completely to the control level after repeated washing. Uptake of 5-HT or dopamine into mouse forebrain synaptosomes was highly reduced by both p-OHA and p-OHN. Both metabolites were more potent in reducing dopamine uptake than in reducing 5-HT uptake. In reduction of 5-HT and of dopamine uptake, p-OHA was more potent than p-OHN. These results indicate that p-OHA is a more selective inhibitor of brain MAO-A activity and 5-HT uptake than its subsequent metabolite, p-OHN. These two actions of p-OHA might, together with possible 5-HT efflux into the synaptic cleft, greatly contribute to head twitch, a brain 5-HT-mediated animal behavior induced by p-OHA.