Monoamine oxidase in rat arteries: evidence for different forms and selective localization

Signal transduction and modulating pathways in tryptamine-evoked vasopressor responses of the rat isolated perfused mesenteric bed

Tryptamine is an endogenous and dietary indoleamine-based trace amine implicated in cardiovascular pathologies, including hypertension, migraine and myocardial infarction. This study aimed at identifying the signalling pathways for the vasoconstrictor response to tryptamine in rat isolated perfused mesenteric arterial beds and co-released vasodilator modulators of tryptamine-mediated vasoconstriction. Tryptamine caused concentration-dependent vasoconstriction of the mesenteric bed, measured as increases in perfusion pressure. These were inhibited by the 5-HT_2A receptor antagonist, ritanserin, indicating mediation via 5-HT_2A receptors. The response was inhibited by the phospholipase C (PLC) and phospholipase A₂ (iPLA₂) inhibitors, U-73122 and PACOCF₃, suggesting involvement of phospholipase pathways. Activation of these pathways by tryptamine releases cyclooxygenase (COX) products since indomethacin (non-selective inhibitor of COX-1/2) and nimesulide (selective COX-2 inhibitor) reduced the vasoconstriction. The most likely COX vasoconstrictor product was prostaglandin PGE₂ since the responses to tryptamine were reduced by AH-6809, a non-selective EP₁ receptor antagonist. Involvement of the Rho-kinase pathway in the tryptamine-evoked vasoconstriction was also indicated by its reduction by the Rho-kinase inhibitors, Y-27,632 and fasudil. The tryptamine vasoconstriction is modulated by the co-released endothelial vasodilator, nitric oxide. Thus, circulating tryptamine can regulate mesenteric blood flow through a cascade of signalling pathways secondary to stimulation of 5-HT_2A receptors.

Evaluation of the inhibitory effects of quercetin-related flavonoids and tea catechins on the monoamine oxidase-A reaction in mouse brain mitochondria

Quercetin, a typical dietary flavonoid, is thought to exert antidepressant effects by inhibiting the monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) reaction, which is responsible for regulation of the metabolism of the neurotransmitter 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in the brain. This study compared the MAO-A inhibitory activity of quercetin with those of O-methylated quercetin (isorhamnetin, tamarixetin), luteolin, and green tea catechins ((-)-epicatechin, (-)-epicatechin gallate, (-)-epigallocatechin, and (-)-epigallocatechin gallate) by measuring the formation of the oxidative deamination product of 5-HT, 5-hydroxyindole aldehyde (5-HIAL), in mouse brain mitochondria. Quercetin was inferior to luteolin in the inhibition of MAO-A activity, whereas isorhamnetin, tamarixetin, and tea catechins scarcely exerted inhibitory activity. Quercetin did not affect MAO-A activity in mouse intestinal mitochondria, indicating that it does not evoke side effects on the metabolism of dietary monoamines in the gut. These data suggest that quercetin is a weak (but safe) MAO-A inhibitor in the modulation of 5-HT levels in the brain.

Evidence for a clorgyline-resistant monoamine metabolizing activity in the rat heart

When benzylamine was used as substrate, a component of the total monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity in the rat heart was found to be resistant to inhibition by clorgyline. The proportion of the total activity represented by this component, decreased as the rat grew. It was also inhibited by both semicarbazide and isoniazid but not by potassium cyanide. Inhibitor studies with MAO in subcellular fractions showed that this component was more concentrated in the microsomal and soluble fractions. However, it could not be concluded that the activity was entirely a soluble enzyme. Determination of quasi-Michaelis constants (“Km”) for total benzylamine oxidizing activity revealed a high (“Km” of approximately 10−5M) and low (“Km” of approximately 5 times 10−4M) affinity component. The high affinity component was inhibited by semicarbazide and the low affinity component by clorgyline. In the presence of 10−3M clorgyline, the high affinity component showed substrate inhibition at higher substrate concentrations. The possibility is discussed that the clorgyline-resistant activity is due to an amine-oxidizing activity distinct from mitochondrial MAO.

A peroxidase-coupled continuous absorbance plate-reader assay for flavin monoamine oxidases, copper-containing amine oxidases and related enzymes

This absorbance plate-reader-based assay is suitable for the examination of monoamine oxidase and copper amine oxidase activities versus numerous substrates. The assay is robust, continuous, rapid, highly quantitative, reasonably sensitive, inexpensive and suitable for automation. In the presence of a suitable amine substrate, amine oxidase enzymes generate hydrogen peroxide, which then drives the peroxidase-dependent oxidation of 4-aminoantipyrine. A subsequent interaction with vanillic acid generates stoichiometric amounts of a red quinoneimine dye, the appearance of which is monitored at 498 nm. An alternative procedure in which vanillic acid is replaced by 2,4-dichlorophenol enhances sensitivity but precludes the measurement of monoamine oxidases due to inhibition of these enzymes by dichlorophenol. Some substrates with low redox potentials, such as catecholamines, are not suitable for inclusion in this assay. A researcher familiar with the procedure can manually generate data for 30 full kinetic curves, composed of ten triplicate points, in 8 h.

Identification of the quinone cofactor in mammalian semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase

Mammalian semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) enzymes have been classified as EC 1.4.3.6 [amine:oxygen oxidoreductase (deaminating)(copper-containing)]. However, both the identity of the quinone cofactor and the presence of copper remain unconfirmed, and SSAO has proved impossible to purify to homogeneity in sufficient yield to permit cofactor identification. To circumvent this problem, we have partially purified SSAO enzymes from bovine and porcine aortae and have established, with a redox-cycling assay, that no other quinoproteins were present in enzyme preparations. Enzymes were then derivatized with (p-nitrophenyl)hydrazine (p-NPH), which forms a covalent yellow complex with the quinone cofactor. Visible absorbance spectra of derivatized bovine and porcine enzymes (respective lambdamax values 456 and 476 nm at neutral pH, shifting to 580 and 584 nm in 2 M KOH) were consistent with the presence of (2,4,5-trihydroxyphenyl)alanine quinone (TPQ) as cofactor. Resonance Raman spectra were essentially identical to that for pea seedling amine oxidase, a known TPQ-containing enzyme. Extensive digestion of SSAO enzymes, and of porcine kidney diamine oxidase, with pronase E yielded species with identical chromophoric properties characteristic of the dipeptide, TPQ(p-NPH)-Asp. Thermolytic digestion of porcine SSAO gave two cofactor-containing peptides that contained a TPQ consensus sequence, Asn-X-Asp-Tyr-Tyr, where X is a blank cycle corresponding to TPQ. N-terminal sequencing of whole enzymes revealed a membrane-spanning region typical of an extracellular type II glycoprotein. These results confirm the presence of TPQ in mammalian membrane-bound SSAO ectoenzymes.

Mammalian plasma and tissue-bound semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidases: biochemical, pharmacological and toxicological aspects

Mammalian plasma and tissues contain various soluble and membrane-bound enzymes which metabolize the synthetic amine benzylamine particularly well. The sensitivity of these enzymes to inhibition by semicarbazide and related compounds suggests that they contain a cofactor with a reactive carbonyl group, which has been proposed to be either pyridoxal phosphate, pyrroloquinoline quinone or (more recently) 6-hydroxydopa. It is not yet clear if all of these semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidases (SSAOs) are copper-dependent enzymes. A variety of compounds have now been identified as relatively selective inhibitors to distinguish the SSAOs from other amine oxidases, in order to investigate the properties of SSAOs and their potential role in biogenic and xenobiotic amine metabolism in vivo. While plasma SSAO is soluble, most tissue SSAOs appear to be membrane-bound, probably plasmalemmal enzymes, which may be capable of metabolizing extracellular amines. Vascular (and non-vascular) smooth muscle cells have particularly high SSAO activity, although recently the enzyme has been found in other cell types (e.g. adipocytes, chondrocytes, odontoblasts) implying a functional importance not restricted solely to smooth muscle. The substrate specificity of plasma and tissue SSAOs shows considerable species-related variations. For example, while some endogenously-occurring aromatic amines such as tyramine and tryptamine are metabolized well by SSAO in homogenates of rat blood vessels, and also in vitro inhibition of SSAO can potentiate vasoconstrictor actions of these amines in rat vascular preparations, these amines are poor substrates for human SSAO, thus complicating attempts to generalize possible physiological roles for these enzymes. Vascular SSAO can metabolize the xenobiotic aliphatic amine, allylamine, to the cytotoxic aldehyde acrolein and this has been linked to the ability of allylamine administration to produce cardiovascular lesions in experimental animals, sometimes mimicking features of atherosclerotic disease. Recent studies showing that the endogenously-occurring aliphatic amines methylamine and aminoacetone are metabolized in vitro to formaldehyde and methylglyoxal, respectively, by SSAO in some animal (including human) tissues, suggest the possibility that toxicological consequences upon cellular function could result if such conversions occur in vivo.

Further studies on the ex-vivo effects of procarbazine and monomethylhydrazine on rat semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase and monoamine oxidase activities

Following administration of the anticancer agent, procarbazine, or one of its metabolites, monomethylhydrazine, to rats, activities of monoamine oxidases A and B (MAO A and MAO B) and of semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) were measured ex-vivo. Both compounds were found to be potent inhibitors of SSAO in tissue homogenates, exhibiting ID50 values in most tissues of approximately 8 mg kg-1 (procarbazine) and 0.08 mg kg-1 (monomethylhydrazine). Concurrent dose-dependent inhibition of MAO activities did not occur. However, in liver, potentiation of MAO B activity, to 140% of that in controls, was apparent following monomethyl-hydrazine and this effect was independent of the drug dose. Both compounds produced a dose-dependent potentiation of MAO A in brown adipose tissue, the elevation being more pronounced following monomethylhydrazine, with activity rising to 350% of that in control homogenates. In a parallel in-vitro study, monomethylhydrazine was without effect on MAO A in brown adipose tissue homogenates. By perfusing the SSAO substrate, benzylamine, through the isolated mesenteric arterial bed of the rat, it was found that pretreatment of animals with procarbazine or monomethylhydrazine reduced metabolism of this amine by a similar degree as had been determined ex-vivo in blood vessel homogenates. The results presented suggest that these compounds would be suitable for use as selective inhibitors in pharmacological examinations of SSAO function in isolated tissues and organs.

A kinetic investigation of the pulmonary metabolism of dopamine in rats shows marked differences compared with noradrenaline

The aim of this study was to investigate the deamination of dopamine in the intact pulmonary circulation of isolated lungs of the rat. The first part of the study showed that dopamine is not converted to noradrenaline by dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) when dopamine is perfused through isolated lung preparations with monoamine oxidase (MAO) and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibited. Hence, it was not necessary to inhibit DBH in subsequent experiments. The metabolite profile for deamination of dopamine in the lungs was examined by determining whether MAO and semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidases (SSAO) contribute to the deamination of dopamine (and noradrenaline), and by determining the activity of MAO (kMAO) for the metabolism of dopamine. Lungs were perfused with 1 nmol/l 3H-dopamine or 3H-noradrenaline with COMT inhibited and, in experiments to determine the contribution of SSAO to deamination, with MAO inhibited. Inhibition of MAO reduced the deamination of dopamine and noradrenaline by 99.8% and 98.6%, respectively, indicating that MAO, and not SSAO, was responsible for deamination of the catecholamines in the lungs. The kMAO value for deamination of dopamine was 3.89 min-1. Further experiments were carried out to determine the contributions of MAO-A and MAO-B to the deamination of dopamine in lungs perfused with 1 nmol/l 3H-dopamine and 100 nmol/l lazabemide or 300 nmol/l Ro41-1049, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Substrate-specificity of mammalian tissue-bound semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase

Although the existence of a membrane-bound (probably plasmalemmal) semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) is well established in various mammalian tissues, and especially within vascular smooth muscle, its importance and the possible consequences of its metabolism of certain physiological and xenobiotic amines in vivo are under continuing investigation. In this respect, there are major species-related differences in substrate specificity determined in vitro, not only towards the synthetic amine benzylamine, but also towards some other aromatic amines (e.g. tyramine, tryptamine, 2-phenylethylamine, dopamine, histamine) which are possible endogenous substrates. Inhibition of SSAO can potentiate the pharmacological activity of some amines in isolated tissue (e.g. blood vessel) preparations from some species. Recent evidence has accumulated that SSAO may also be involved in metabolizing endogenous aliphatic amines such as methylamine and aminoacetone, focussing attention on the fact that the aldehyde products (formaldehyde and methylglyoxal, respectively) are potentially cytotoxic agents. Indeed, SSAO has been implicated in experimental models of cardiovascular toxicity involving conversion of the industrial aliphatic amine allylamine to acrolein. In summary, metabolism by SSAO may reduce the physiological/pharmacological effects of some amines, but the resulting metabolites (aldehydes, H2O2) may also have important actions.

Some aspects of the pathophysiology of semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase enzymes

The widespread distribution of enzymes classed as semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidases (SSAO enzymes) throughout a very wide range of eukaryotic as well as prokaryotic organisms encourages the aspirations of those who wish to demonstrate physiological, pathological or pharmacological importance. Such enzymes are found in several tissues of mammals, both freely soluble, as in blood plasma, and membrane-bound, for example, in smooth muscle and adipose tissue. While they are capable of deaminating many amines with the production of an aldehyde and hydrogen peroxide, doubt still surrounds the identity of the most important endogenous substrates for these enzymes. At present, methylamine and aminoacetone appear to head the list of candidates. The possibility that SSAO enzymes can convert amine substrates to highly toxic metabolites is illustrated by the production of acrolein from the xenobiotic amine, allylamine and formaldehyde and methylglyoxal from methylamine and aminoacetone, respectively. Activities of SSAO enzymes may be influenced by physiological changes, such as pregnancy or pathologically by disease states, including diabetes, tumours and burns. Increased deamination of aminoacetone by tissue and plasma SSAO enzymes as a result of its increased production from L-threonine in conditions such as exhaustion, starvation and diabetes mellitus may be harmful. Such dangers could be mitigated either physiologically by a compensatory reduction in SSAO activity or pharmacologically by treatment with inhibitors of SSAO.

Stereochemistry and cofactor identity status of semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidases

The relationship between the soluble copper topaquinone amine oxidases, the membrane bound semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidases and lysyl oxidase remains unclear. The stereochemical course of substrate oxidation has been determined for each enzyme type and these studies suggest that SSAO and lysyl oxidase are closely related mechanistically, and that they are distinct from the copper amine oxidases. Both lysyl oxidase and SSAO catalyze the oxidation of tyramine with removal of the pro-S hydrogen from C-1 of this substrate. The copper amine oxidase enzymes that react with abstraction of the pro-S hydrogen from C-1 of substrates do not exhibit a solvent exchange pathway. In contrast, this exchange occurs in lysyl oxidase and SSAO reactions. The organic cofactor in all three enzyme types is a quinone; however, the spectral features of phenylhydrazine and p-nitrophenylhydrazine-derivatized SSAO differ from those reported for all known topaquinone-containing enzymes. Cofactor identification is further complicated by the lack of the characteristic topa motif, Asn-Tyr-Asp/Glu, in lysyl oxidase and the absence of any sequence information for SSAO.

Histaminase activity of mesenteric artery of the rat

In rat mesenteric artery homogenates histamine is oxidatively deaminated at high rate whereas putrescine is a poor substrate. The oxidation of histamine appears to be mainly catalyzed by an SSAO enzyme with high affinity for benzylamine (Bz.SSAO). Histamine oxidation is inhibited by B24 (2,5-diethoxy-4-aminomethylpyridine), a selective inhibitor of Bz.SSAO enzymes, and reduced by the presence of benzylamine. The Bz.SSAO enzyme which is present in the rat mesenteric artery is not only able to oxidize histamine, but also methylamine, acetylputrescine and some methylated forms of histamine including 1,4-methylhistamine.

Properties of mammalian tissue-bound semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase: possible clues to its physiological function?

Semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO), occurs not only in vascular smooth muscle but also in other cell types (e.g. adipocytes, chondrocytes, odontoblasts), probably in the plasma membrane. Although certain aromatic biogenic amines (e.g. tryptamine, tyramine, beta-phenyl-ethylamine) may be endogenous substrates for SSAO in species such as the rat, the weak activity of SSAO in human tissues towards these amines makes this less likely in man. However SSAO in human and rat vascular homogenates readily converts the aliphatic biogenic amines methylamine and aminoacetone to formaldehyde and methylglyoxal, respectively. Also the xenobiotic aliphatic amine allylamine produces cardiovascular damage in experimental animals by a mechanism which involves its deamination by SSAO to acrolein. Further metabolism of these toxic aliphatic aldehydes may involve glutathione-dependent pathways. Thus, SSAO may be involved not only in the removal of physiologically-active endogenous/xenobiotic amines, but resulting metabolite (aldehyde/H2O2?) formation could also influence cellular function.

Predominance of oxidative deamination in the metabolism of exogenous noradrenaline by the normal and chemically denervated human uterine artery

Longitudinal strips were prepared from human uterine arteries obtained at hysterectomy. The artery had a low content of noradrenaline and dopamine, contrasting with a high content of the deaminated catechols, dihydroxyphenylglycol (DOPEG) and dihydroxymandelic acid (DOMA), which together represented 98% of endogenous catechols. When incubated with 3H-noradrenaline (0.1 mumol/l), the uterine artery removed, accumulated and metabolized noradrenaline. Deaminated metabolites predominated, DOMA being the most abundant metabolite. Cocaine markedly reduced the accumulation of 3H-noradrenaline and abolished 3H-DOPEG formation, but did not change 3H-DOMA. Selective monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors (clorgyline, selegiline and 2-amino ethyl carboxamide derivatives) caused a marked decrease in the amounts of 3H-DOPEG, 3H-DOMA and 3H-O-methylated and deaminated metabolites (OMDA) formed by the tissue and an increase in 3H-normetanephrine (NMN) formation. Inhibition of catechol-O-methyltransferase suppressed NMN formation and reduced that of OMDA; hydrocortisone slightly depressed the formation of DOMA and OMDA. Homogenates of the uterine artery deaminated 3H-5-HT, 14C-phenylethylamine and 3H-tyramine; inhibition curves of the deamination of 3H-tyramine by clorgyline and selegiline were compatible with the presence of both MOA A and MOA B. Exposure of the strips to 6-hydroxydopamine (1.5 mmol/l for 20 min; 3 exposure periods followed by washout periods of 15,15 and 30 min) resulted in complete and selective chemical denervation of the arterial tissue. This chemical denervation had effects which were similar to those of cocaine. The 2-amino ethyl carboxyamide derivatives markedly reduced the formation of deaminated metabolites by the denervated strips.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Stereochemical course of tyramine oxidation by semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase

Two semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidases (SSAO's) from bovine and porcine aortic tissue were partially purified and characterized, and the stereochemical course of amine oxidation was evaluated. The porcine and bovine SSAO's were membrane bound glycoproteins, with Km values for benzylamine of 8 and 16 microM, respectively. The reactivity of SSAO with semicarbazide and phenylhydrazine suggests that the cofactor is a carbonyl type molecule. The stereochemical course of the bovine and porcine aortic semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase reaction was investigated using chiral tyramines, deuterated at C-1 and C-2, and 1H-NMR spectroscopy to establish the loss or retention of deuterium in product p-hydroxyphenethyl alcohols. The preferred mode of tyramine oxidation was found to occur with the loss of pro-S proton at C-1, coupled with solvent exchange into C-2, a pattern which has not been observed for any copper amine oxidase examined to date. The solvent exchange reaction also occurred stereospecifically, with loss from and reprotonation to the pro-R position, suggesting that these two processes occur from the same face of the enamine double bond.

The role of monoamine oxidase in the metabolism of exogenous noradrenaline by the human saphenous vein

Human saphenous vein segments were obtained from patients subjected to coronary bypass surgery. As determined by HPLC-ED, the veins had a relatively low content of noradrenaline and high content of the deaminated metabolites, dihydroxyphenylglycol (DOPEG) and dihydroxymandelic acid (DOMA). In vein segments which had been incubated with 3H-noradrenaline (0.1 mumol/l), the oxidative deamination pathway predominated over the O-methylating one. Deamination occurred both at the neuronal and extraneuronal level; DOPEG appearing to be a good index of intraneuronal deamination, whereas DOMA and O-methylated and deaminated metabolites were mainly formed extraneuronally. Both MAO type A and MAO type B selective inhibitors reduced the deamination of noradrenaline; deamination was also found to be partially sensitive to semicarbazide. Inhibition of neuronal uptake or of deamination increased O-methylation. The human saphenous vein thus metabolizes exogenous noradrenaline following a pattern which substantially differs from that shown to occur in various blood vessels from other animal species.

Effect of subarachnoid hemorrhage on serotonin uptake and metabolism in rabbit basilar artery

The effects of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) on neuronal uptake and metabolism of serotonin (5-HT) in the rabbit basilar artery were examined. Extracted 3H-amines from the isolated arteries after incubation with [3H]5-HT were separated by column chromatography. Radioactivity of 5-HT and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid was, respectively, 52.7 +/- 13.9 and 22.9 +/- 5.4 x 10(2) dpm/mg tissue in the control group (n = 8); 32 and 18% of control after denervation (n = 6); 99 and 12% of control after treatment with pargyline (n = 7); and 65 and 76% of control after SAH (n = 7). These results suggest that the neuronal uptake of 5-HT is impaired by SAH, although monoamine oxidase activity is relatively preserved.

Plasma amine oxidase activities in Norrie disease patients with an X-chromosomal deletion affecting monoamine oxidase

Two individuals with an X-chromosomal deletion were recently found to lack the genes encoding monoamine oxidase type A (MAO-A) and MAO-B. This abnormality was associated with almost total (90%) reductions in the oxidatively deaminated urinary metabolites of the MAO-A substrate, norepinephrine, and with marked (100-fold) increases in an MAO-B substrate, phenylethylamine, confirming systemic functional consequences of the genetic enzyme deficiency. However, urinary concentrations of the deaminated metabolites of dopamine and serotonin (5-HT) were essentially normal. To investigate other deaminating systems besides MAO-A and MAO-B that might produce these metabolites of dopamine and 5-HT, we examined plasma amine oxidase (AO) activity in these two patients and two additional patients with the same X-chromosomal deletion. Normal plasma AO activity was found in all four Norrie disease-deletion patients, in four patients with classic Norrie disease without a chromosomal deletion, and in family members of patients from both groups. Marked plasma amine metabolite abnormalities and essentially absent platelet MAO-B activity were found in all four Norrie disease-deletion patients, but in none of the other subjects in the two comparison groups. These results indicate that plasma AO is encoded by gene(s) independent of those for MAO-A and MAO-B, and raise the possibility that plasma AO, and perhaps the closely related tissue AO, benzylamine oxidase, as well as other atypical AOs or MAOs encoded independently from MAO-A and MAO-B may contribute to the oxidative deamination of dopamine and 5-HT in humans.

New directions in monoamine oxidase A and B selective inhibitors and substrates

Identification, cellular localization, and cDNA cloning of MAO subtypes A and B have increased the insight into the pharmacology of these enzymes, whose primary functions are intra- and extraneuronal inactivation of neurotransmitter (dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin) and other biogenic amines. In addition, MAO oxidizes the inert uncharacteristic tertiary amine, MPTP, to the parkinson inducing dopaminergic neurotoxin, MPP+, and the novel secondary amine anticonvulsant milacemide to the inhibitory amino acid neurotransmitter, glycine. These recent developments have provided new therapeutic perspectives for the management of Parkinson's disease and seizure disorders via the use of selective inhibitors and amino acid amine prodrug substrates of MAO-B.

Evidence for an extraneuronal location of monoamine oxidase in renal tissues

(1) Homogenates of renal cortex and renal medulla of control and 6-hydroxydopamine-denervated cat kidneys were prepared. (2) Monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity was determined with [3H]-5-hydroxytryptamine [( 3H]-5HT) and [14C]-beta-phenylethylamine [( 14C]-beta-PEA) as preferential substrates for MAO-A and MAO-B, respectively. (3) The endogenous dopamine and noradrenaline tissue contents of control and chemically-denervated kidneys were compared with the MAO activities. (4) The results show that a 70% depletion of monoamine content by chemical denervation resulted only in a 23% reduction of MAO-A activity in the renal cortex, whereas MAO-B was unaffected either in the cortical or the medullary zones; in the renal medulla MAO-A activity was not changed by denervation. Most of the MAO activity in the cat kidney is of the B type (74%) and is located in the renal cortex.

Oxidative deamination of noradrenaline in human blood vessels

Human vascular tissue (saphenous vein and uterine artery) was incubated with tritiated noradrenaline. In both vessels, oxidative deamination predominated over O-methylation. Deamination was due to the action of MAO type A and B, as well as of a semicarbazide-sensitive oxidase. Whereas DOPEG was a good index of intraneuronal deamination, NMN, DOMA and OMDA appeared to be entirely extraneuronal in origin. Extraneuronal deamination plays an important role in human vascular tissue and may contribute to the inactivation of circulating catecholamines.

Metabolism of amines in the isolated perfused mesenteric arterial bed of the rat

1. Semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) activity has been demonstrated in the isolated mesenteric arterial bed of the rat in vitro by studying the metabolism of benzylamine (Bz) and tyramine (Tyr) added to the perfusing fluid. 2. Pretreatment of rats with (E)-2-(3',4'-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-fluoroallylamine (MDL72145), a potent inhibitor of SSAO in rat mesenteric blood vessels, reduced the amount of metabolites, following the addition of Bz (25 microM) or Tyr (100 microM) to the perfusing fluid, by 83% and 52% respectively. Inactivation of monoamine oxidase type A (MAO-A) by the addition of clorgyline (10 microM) to the perfusing fluid, had little effect on the appearance of metabolites from Tyr. 3. The presence of 3 microM cocaine in the perfusing fluid increased the amount of metabolites produced from Tyr. 4. The metabolites of Tyr appearing in the perfusion fluid from control preparations were 85% p-hydroxyphenylacetic and the remainder consisted of a mixture of p-hydroxyphenylacetaldehyde and, possible, p-hydroxyphenylethanol. 5. The metabolism of Tyr by homogenates of the rat mesenteric vascular bed was carried out by SSAO (60%) and MAO-A (40%) with very little contribution from MAO-B. Homogenates from rats pretreated with MDL 72145 showed metabolism of Tyr by MAO-A only. 6. These data indicate that SSAO is capable of metabolizing amines present in the fluid perfusing blood vessels to metabolites that are readily released. Histochemical evidence has shown that whereas MAO-A is present in the mitochondria of smooth muscle cells and nerve endings, SSAO is located in the plasma membrane of the smooth muscle cells. This subcellular distribution may explain the differences found between metabolites released from intact vessels and the metabolism seen in homogenates. The identity of the Tyr metabolizing activity in intact vessels that is resistant to both MDL 72145 and clorgyline remains to be determined.

The influence of amine metabolizing enzymes on the pharmacology of tyramine in the isolated perfused mesenteric arterial bed of the rat

1. The pressor response to the infusion of tyramine (Tyr) into the isolated perfused mesenteric arterial bed of the rat has been studied at both a low and a high dose (0.2 and 2.0 mumol) and the effect of monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) and semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) inhibition was examined. Very little MAO-B activity is found in homogenates of this tissue when Tyr is used as substrate. 2. Inhibition of SSAO by treating rats with 1 mg kg-1 (E)-2-(3',4'-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-fluoroally lamine (MDL 72145) 1 h before dissection, had no significant effect on the maximum pressure attained or the area under the curve (AUC) of the response to both low and high doses of Tyr. Inhibition of MAO-A, by inclusion of 10 microM clorgyline in the perfusing fluid, resulted in no significant potentiation at both low or high doses of Tyr. The inhibition of both these enzymes together substantially increased the AUC of the pressor response. 3. Cocaine (3 microM) significantly potentiated the responses to adrenaline (Ad). At this dose, cocaine significantly reduced the peak height and the AUC of the responses to both doses of Tyr. 4. Inhibition of extraneuronal uptake mechanisms with corticosterone (29 microM) did not potentiate the response to Ad and did not significantly alter the response to Tyr (low dose). 5. The effects of MDL 72145 and clorgyline on the directly acting amine, Ad, were studied. MDL 72145 caused a small but significant increase in the EC50 and in the maximum response to Ad, whilst clorgyline (10 microM) increased the EC50 value slightly and decreased the maximum response.

Allylamine-induced vascular toxicity in vitro: prevention by semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase inhibitors

The present studies were designed to evaluate the role that metabolic activation plays in allylamine (AAM)-induced vascular toxicity. The effects of AAM were evaluated in primary cultures of rat vascular endothelial (VEC) and smooth muscle cells (SMC). Semicarbazide (SC) and diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC) were used as inhibitors of semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO). Clorgyline and pargyline were used as inhibitors of monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B, respectively. The effect of catalase, a hydrogen peroxide scavenger, on AAM-induced cytotoxicity was also evaluated. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release and morphological alterations were chosen as indicators of cytotoxicity. Confluent cultures of VEC and SMC were exposed to various concentrations of AAM (2-200 microM) in the absence and presence of serum for 4, 12, or 24 hr. High concentrations of AAM (200 microM) alone produced a time-dependent increase in LDH release and morphologic alterations in cultures of both cell types. Lower concentrations of AAM did not compromise the structural integrity of the cells. Semicarbazide (200 microM) or DDC (2 mM), but not clorgyline (10 microM) or pargyline (10 microM), prevented the toxicity of AAM (200 microM). Allylamine-induced cytotoxicity was partially prevented by catalase (2500 U/ml). The presence of fetal bovine serum in the medium was not essential for the manifestation of cytotoxicity. Single cell suspensions of VEC or SMC formed acrolein (ACR) when incubated in the presence of AAM. The formation of ACR mediated by SMC was inhibited by SC (20 microM), but not clorgyline (10 microM). These results support the concept that AAM is oxidatively deaminated by an SSAO present in vascular cells to generate toxic metabolic by-products capable of causing extensive cellular injury.

Localization of distinct monoamine oxidase A and monoamine oxidase B cell populations in human brainstem

Monoclonal antibodies, specific for either monoamine oxidases A or B, were used to determine the localization of monoamine oxidase in the human brain. Two distinct populations of neurons were detected by immunocytochemical staining. Neurons in regions rich in catecholamines were positive for monoamine oxidase A, including the nucleus locus coeruleus, the nucleus subcoeruleus and the medullary reticular formation. In these regions, monoamine oxidase A could be co-localized with the synthetic enzyme, dopamine-beta-hydroxylase. Neurons in the substantia nigra and the periventricular region of the hypothalamus, areas rich in dopamine neurons, stained for monoamine oxidase A but with much less frequency and intensity. The major accumulation of monoamine oxidase B-positive neurons was observed in the same regions in which monoamine oxidase B is found to co-localize with serotonin in monkey tissues, including the nucleus raphe dorsalis and the nucleus centralis superior. In addition, both monoamine oxidase A and B were localized in distinct populations of neurons in the lateral and tuberal regions of the hypothalamus, a region shown recently to contain histamine neurons in rats. Some glial cells were stained throughout the brain for monoamine oxidase A or B suggesting that glia are capable of either expression or uptake of these proteins.

Some properties of semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidases

The semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidases (SSAOs) comprise a substantial but diffuse group of enzymes separable from classical monoamine oxidase in several respects. Differences in cofactor requirement, molecular weight and subcellular distribution are crucial for such a separation. Differential sensitivity to enzyme inhibitors, characterized by resistance to inhibition by acetylenic MAO inhibitors coupled with sensitivity to semicarbazide and some related compounds are characteristic of these enzymes. SSAO enzymes have been found in the plasma of man, ox, pig and horse, for example as well as in the solid tissues of many species. Extensive studies have so far failed to produce any conclusive evidence to indicate what the precise functions of many of these enzymes may be. Indeed in most cases there is no clear idea as to the nature of the preferred physiological substrate, although many amines with pharmacological activity have been shown to be substrates. The actions of these amines may be potentiated following inhibition of SSAO, but as yet little is known whether or not these actions can be important in vivo. An attempt is made in this review to bring together some of the evidence to see if there are indications for future endeavours.

The interaction of hydralazine with a semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase in brown adipose tissue of the rat. Its use as a radioactive ligand for the enzyme

Hydralazine is a potent irreversible inhibitor of the semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) found in brown fat. Initially it may act on the enzyme as a competitive inhibitor, but irreversible inhibition occurs rapidly in a concentration- and temperature-dependent manner. The presence of primary amines known to be substrates for the enzyme, but not of secondary amines, which are not metabolized by SSAO, diminishes this rate of inactivation, whereas removal of O2 is without effect. The kinetic pattern of inactivation of SSAO by hydralazine is consistent with an active-site-directed site-saturable binding followed by the development of an irreversible enzyme-inhibitor complex. [3H]Hydralazine, used as an affinity label for SSAO, shows saturable binding to brown-fat membranes. This binding is inhibited by other inhibitors of SSAO. The rate of binding to membrane pellets containing SSAO is not affected by substrates for the enzyme. However, if solubilized partially purified SSAO preparations are used instead, the rate of binding is lowered in the presence of the SSAO substrate benzylamine. 3H-labelled material solubilized from [3H]hydralazine-treated membrane pellets by Triton X-100 at that detergent/protein ratio which releases SSAO from membranes shows the same gel-filtration characteristics as SSAO and appears by lentil lectin-agarose affinity chromatography to contain similar carbohydrate moieties. 3H-labelled material, partially purified by gel filtration and affinity chromatography, produces predominantly a single band of radioactivity on sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. The position of this band corresponds to an Mr of about 94 000, almost exactly half the Mr already estimated for the functional unit of SSAO. Radiolabelled hydralazine may thus be used as a label for purified SSAO, but it is not specific enough to be suitable as a ligand in vivo.

Vascular smooth muscle cells: a major source of the semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase of the rat aorta

Several methods have been used to study the distribution of the semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) within the wall of the rat aorta. After separation of the smooth muscle-containing layers of the tunica media from the connective tissue of the tunica adventitia, much higher specific enzyme activity (measured with 1 microM benzylamine) was found in homogenates of the media than of adventitia. Similar results were obtained for MAO-A (with 1 mM 5-HT as substrate). SSAO activity was also considerably higher in homogenates of cells (predominantly smooth muscle) isolated from medial tissue by enzymatic dissociation with collagenase and elastase compared with homogenates of cells (mostly of connective tissue origin) from the adventitia. Histochemical staining resulting from SSAO activity (with benzylamine as substrate) occurred predominantly and intensely over the tunica media in rat aortic sections, although some occasional staining of adventitial sites was also observed. Staining was prevented by the SSAO inhibitors hydroxylamine (1 microM) and semicarbazide (1 mM), but not by the MAO inhibitor, clorgyline (1 mM). These results indicate that SSAO is associated predominantly, although not exclusively, with the smooth muscle cells in the rat aorta. Our findings that beta-aminopropionitrile (BAPN) is a reversible, competitive inhibitor (Ki around 2 X 10(-4)M) of SSAO, in contrast to the irreversible inhibition of the connective tissue lysyl oxidase by BAPN reported by others, provides further evidence that these enzymes are not identical.

Vascular monoamine oxidase activity in the rat brain: variation with the substrate and the vascular segment

Brain vascular monoamine oxidase (MAO) was assayed in order to determine (a) whether microvessel MAO is more or less specific for certain substrates and (b) if the extraparenchymal, pial arteries possess an MAO activity as high as that in the microvessels. Rat brain microvessels were prepared by gentle homogenisation of grey matter, followed by filtration and differential centrifugation of the matter retained. Pial arteries were carefully freed of the meninges and cut into small segments. For comparison, rat mesenteric arteries were also dissected out and cut up. MAO was assayed by measuring the rate of oxygen consumption in a small cell with a Clark electrode. Although a high microvessel MAO activity (2.2 +/- 0.3 nmol min-1 mg prot.-1) was found using noradrenaline as substrate, significantly higher rates were found with tyramine, serotonin and beta-phenyl-ethylamine. By contrast, both pial and mesenteric arteries showed a 6-7 fold lower activity (substrate tyramine). These results indicate first, that a certain specialisation of the microvessel MAO activity exists which is apparently independent of the classical A or B-form category of the substrates, and second, that the extraparenchymal vessels (pial arteries) appear to possess significantly lower MAO activity, in accordance with the concept that blood-brain properties are induced by the cerebral parenchyma.

Modification of blood pressure and nictitating membrane response to sympathetic amines by selective monoamine oxidase inhibitors, types A and B, in the cat

The selective monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors clorgyline, selegiline and AGN 1135 did not cause a change in responses of the cat nictitating membrane to preganglionic sympathetic nerve stimulation at 5 Hz. Both selective MAO-A and MAO-B inhibitors markedly potentiated nictitating membrane contractions in response to beta-phenylethylamine (PEA). However, the responses to tyramine were unchanged. The pressor responses to tyramine were potentiated by the selective MAO-A inhibitor clorgyline (2 mg kg-1) but not by selegiline (1.0 mg kg-1) and AGN 1135 (1.5 mg kg-1), selective MAO-B inhibitors. At the doses used selegiline and AGN 1135 caused a near total selective inhibition of liver and brain MAO-B, while clorgyline inhibited MAO-A only in the brain. AGN 1135, like selegiline, could be a useful drug in potentiating the action of L-DOPA in Parkinson's disease.

Cellular localization of MAO A and B in brain: evidence from kainic acid lesions in striatum

The cellular localization of the two forms of monoamine oxidase (MAO A and MAO B) was studied by measuring their activities in rat striatum following unilateral stereotaxic injection of kainic acid to produce selective degeneration of striatal neurons and subsequent proliferation of astrocytes. The results demonstrated a persistent loss of 15-20% in MAO A activity, whereas MAO B activity decreased initially by 25% and then increased to more than twice the control value by 54 days after lesions. The changes in activity were compared to parallel estimates of the postsynaptic neuronal enzyme markers glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE), astroglial enzyme markers glutamine synthetase (GS) and non-neuronal enolase (NNE), and the presynaptic enzyme marker DOPA decarboxylase (DDC). The results suggest that a small amount of striatal MAO A is present in kainic acid-sensitive postsynaptic striatal neurons and that MAO B is probably localized in both neurons and astrocytes.

Age-related changes in monoamine oxidase and semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase activities of rat aorta

Aorta MAO-A and SSAO activities were measured on young (3 months) and old (23-26 months) rats. A significant decrease (30-40%) in SSAO activity was found with benzylamine as substrate and the decrease was due to a reduction in Vmax. No significant changes in MAO-A activity were found in the aorta of old rats. beta-PEA is oxidized mainly by SSAO in rat aorta. However, the significance of this is unclear since the physiological role of that enzyme remains unknown.

Responses of rabbit aorta to tyramine in relation to the surface of drug entry

The contraction elicited by submaximally effective concentrations of tyramine in the rabbit aortic strip occurs after a shorter latency and increases at a higher initial velocity to a greater steady-state level when drug entry is limited to the adventitial than when it is limited to the intimal surface. The reverse was true for noradrenaline. Both amines elicited equal maximum responses with independence of the surface of entry into the vascular wall. Differences between steady-state contractions disappear when the intramural disposition pathways of tyramine are blocked pharmacologically by a combination of pargyline and semicarbazide. Incubation with cocaine and pretreatment with reserpine resulted in a reversal of the surface of entry related differences between steady-state contractions to tyramine related to differences of the surface of entry. This reflected the unmasking of the direct component of the action of tyramine. Thus, the technique of limited drug entry into the vascular wall together with blockade of disposition pathways allows us to characterize the pre- and postsynaptic components of the action of tyramine.

Effects of clorgyline and (-)deprenyl on the deamination of normetanephrine and noradrenaline in strips and homogenates of the canine saphenous vein

The influence of specific inhibitors of MAO A (clorgyline) and MAO B [(-)deprenyl] on the metabolism of normetanephrine (NMN) in strips of canine saphenous vein was studied, both in the absence and in the presence of inhibitors of neuronal (cocaine) and extraneuronal (hydrocortisone) uptake. Moreover, the formation of metabolites of noradrenaline and of NMN by saphenous vein homogenates and the influence of clorgyline or (-)deprenyl on this formation are described. Clorgyline reduced to the same degree (by about 70%) the formation of methoxy-hydroxy-phenylglycol (MOPEG) and of vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) in strips incubated with NMN, whereas (-)deprenyl reduced by about 50% the formation of MOPEG and had no effect on VMA production. Hydrocortisone had effects very similar to those of (-)deprenyl. Saphenous vein homogenates (O-methylation inhibited), deaminated both noradrenaline and NMN; clorgyline and (-)deprenyl reduced the formation of metabolites of both noradrenaline and NMN. It is concluded that both MAO A and B are able to deaminate noradrenaline and NMN, but that in the intact tissue the former has no access to MAO B. Even in intact tissues MAO B may play a role in the metabolism (but not in the inactivation) of noradrenaline by deaminating the NMN formed from noradrenaline and giving preferentially origin to MOPEG.

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.

Amine oxidase activities in brown adipose tissue of the rat: identification of semicarbazide-sensitive (clorgyline-resistant) activity at the fat cell membrane

Amine oxidase activity, previously described in homogenates of brown adipose tissue of the rat, has now been investigated in preparations of isolated fat cells. It was found that the specific activities of both monoamine oxidase A (MAO) and of the semicarbazide-sensitive clorgyline-resistant amine oxidase (SSAO) were higher in isolated fat cells than in the original whole tissue. Brown adipocytes therefore represent a major source of both these enzymes. In plasma membranes prepared from these isolated brown fat cells by borate extraction there was a similar enrichment of activity of SSAO and of the plasma membrane marker enzyme, phosphodiesterase I. However in preparations of cell membranes made by binding the cells to polycation-coated beads, enrichment of phosphodiesterase I activity was much greater than that of SSAO. It is suggested that the disposition of the enzyme within the cell membrane may account for the discrepancy in these results, i.e. the sidedness of the membrane may be important. Histochemical visualization of enzyme activity in whole tissue at the ultrastructural level was undertaken. Positive staining of mitochondria was achieved in the presence of the MAO substrate, tryptamine. Staining around the edges of the brown fat cells was observed with the SSAO substrates, tyramine and benzylamine. Staining was largely absent when substrate was omitted or after pretreatment with the irreversible SSAO inhibitor, hydralazine and the slowly reversible inhibitor, semicarbazide. It is not definitely proven that this staining represents sites of enzyme activity but the results are consistent with evidence from other studies indicating that SSAO in brown adipose tissue of the rat may be found predominantly at the fat cell surface.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Inhibition of monoamine oxidase and semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase by mexiletine and related compounds

The in vitro inhibition by mexiletine and related compounds of the activity of rat brain, heart and lung monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A), rat brain MAO-B, human platelet-poor plasma benzylamine oxidase and a clorgyline-resistant, semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) distinct from both MAO and benzylamine oxidase has been studied. The compounds were most active towards MAO-A and SSAO. IC50 values for mexiletine towards rat heart MAO-A and SSAO were 10 mumol/l and 320 mumol/l, respectively. Replacement of the para-hydrogen atom in the mexiletine aromatic ring by bromine increased potency towards both MAO-A and SSAO. Replacement of the ortho-methyl group in the mexiletine aromatic ring by hydrogen increased the potency towards SSAO alone. FLA 1042, with both these substitutions, was found to be a reversible mixed-type inhibitor of both MAO-A (Kislopei 1.4 mumol/l, Kiinti 24 mumol/l) and of SSAO (Kislopei 12 mumol/l, Kiinti 6 mumol/l).

Solubilization and some properties of a semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase in brown adipose tissue of the rat

A semicarbazide-sensitive clorgyline-resistant amine oxidase (SSAO) was solubilized from membrane fractions of rat brown adipose tissue by the non-ionic detergent, Triton X-100. Alteration of ionic strength or addition of chelating agents alone failed to release the enzyme from its membrane. Lipid-depletion led to loss of enzyme activity and alteration of substrate affinity. Over 80% of the activity of the solubilized enzyme was found in gel filtration fractions corresponding to an Mr of between 160 000 and 180 000. The glycoprotein nature of SSAO was established from affinity chromatography with either immobilized concanavalin A or Lens culinaris lectin. Elution of over 50% SSAO activity from the lentil lectin was achieved with 0.25M-alpha-methyl D-mannoside to give 80-90-fold purification of the enzyme. Irradiation inactivation gave a value for Mr of around 183 000 for both soluble and membrane-bound SSAO. Substrate affinity and inhibitor sensitivity of the enzyme were unaltered by solubilization. The copper-chelating agent, diethyldithiocarbamate, did not affect the enzyme, shedding doubt on the suggestion that SSAO is a copper-requiring enzyme. The significance of these findings in relation to the nature of SSAO and to its disposition within the cell membrane is discussed.

Age-related changes in benzylamine oxidase activity in rat tissues

Brain, liver, heart, lung, kidney and duodenum benzylamine oxidase (BZAO) activities were measured from young and old rats. Protein content was found to decrease in liver (-17%), kidney (-20%) and duodenum (-17%) but remained unchanged in brain, heart and lung of old rats compared with that of young rats. A significant decrease (-41%) of BZAO activity was found in lung whereas a significant increase of enzyme activity was found in brain (+49%) and kidney (+25%) and no change was found in heart and duodenum of old rats. BZAO was not detected in either young or old rat liver. Kinetic analysis for lung BZAO activity of old rats showed that Vmax was decreased but Km was unchanged in comparison with that of young rats. Since, as we have shown previously, MAO-A and -B activity in lung of old rats was also found to be decreased, the decrease of lung BZAO activity with increasing age merits further investigation, lung playing an important role in removing amines from the circulation.

Properties of monoamine oxidase in monkey heart

The activities of monoamine oxidase (MAO) in a homogenate and the mitochondrial fraction of monkey (Macaca fascicularis) heart were measured with labelled benzylamine, serotonin (5-HT), tyramine and beta-phenylethylamine (PEA) as substrates. The effects of clorgyline, deprenyl and semicarbazide on MAO were also investigated. Benzylamine deamination was more sensitive to deprenyl than to clorgyline, although it was not completely inhibited by a high concentration of either, and the remaining activity was completely inhibited by pretreatment with semicarbazide. The activities of 5-HT and tyramine were both more sensitive to clorgyline than to deprenyl, and both inhibitors gave single-sigmoidal inhibition curves. Experiments with increasing concentrations of PEA as substrate and clorgyline and deprenyl as inhibitors indicated that at higher concentrations, PEA was a substrate for MAO-A as well as MAO-B in monkey heart. These results suggest that monkey heart mitochondria contain not only MAO-A and MAO-B, but also clorgyline resistant amine oxidase (CRAO). The ratio of MAO-A, MAO-B and CRAO was determined from plots of inhibitions with each substrate. The kinetic constants of MAO in monkey heart were compared with those of MAO in hearts of other animals. The enzymic properties of MAO in monkey heart were discussed on the basis of these results.

Monoamine oxidase and semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase in spontaneously hypertensive and in normotensive control rats

The aim of the present work was to compare monoamine oxidase (MAO) and semicarbazide sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) activity in several tissues from spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). Contribution of MAO-A, -B and SSAO to the metabolism of each substrate in each tissue was defined from experiments where the decrease of oxidative deamination of each substrate at a given concentration was measured as a function of increasing concentrations of a selective MAO-A, -B or SSAO inhibitor. In the heart, aorta and, to a lesser extent, the femoral arteries MAO-A activity was higher in SHR than in WKY. Similarly in the liver the enzyme activity was higher in SHR than in WKY but was due to the -B form of MAO. In all the other tissues studied (duodenum, brain, lungs, adrenals and kidneys) no difference in MAO-A, MAO-B or SSAO activity was found between SHR and WKY, except for the kidneys and brain, if the differences in the weights of these organs in SHR are taken into account.

Monoamine oxidase activity in brain microvessels determined using natural and artificial substrates: relevance to the blood-brain barrier

The possible contribution of cerebrovascular monoamine oxidase (MAO) to the blood-brain barrier to catecholamines was studied in isolated porcine and rat microvessels by determining its activity with various substrates. Michaelis-Menten kinetic constants, Km and Vmax, were determined using noradrenaline (NA) as substrate in a Tris medium. Km values were 0.25 +/- 0.05 mM in control and 0.16 +/- 0.09 mM in ultrasonically disintegrated (USD) preparations (difference not significant); Vmax in USD preparations (1.83 +/- 0.20 n.atoms O2 min-1 mg protein-1) was slightly higher (p less than 0.05) than in control preparations (1.35 +/- 0.11 n.atoms O2 min-1 mg protein-1), suggesting a certain restriction by the plasma membrane of substrate access to the enzyme. This phenomenon was confirmed in a more physiological, ionic medium; the activity was then approximately doubled for 1 mM NA, whereas that for 1 mM beta-phenylethylamine (beta-PEA), a lipid-soluble substrate, tended to decrease with USD treatment. These results show that this highly active form of MAO is unlikely to be saturated by physiological concentrations of catecholamine. It can be estimated that, for a plasma concentration of NA of 1 microM, a facilitated diffusion accelerating the entry of the catecholamine into the cells by at least 15-fold would be necessary in order to exceed the catabolic capacity of MAO. It is concluded that circulating catecholamines are not likely to cross the endothelial barrier of cerebral microvessels intact, and that the small quantities of radioactivity detected in the parenchyma in measurements of the brain uptake index essentially represent metabolites due to MAO activity.