Abstract
Disulfiram, a potent inhibitor of dopamine-β-hydroxylase, is effective in lowering endogenous norepinephrine and in elevating endogenous dopamine in the norepinephrine-containing regions of the brain. The decrease in the norepinephrine content exceeded the increase in the dopamine content in all analyzed regions of the brain. In animals pretreated with the monoamine oxidase inhibitor pheniprazine, there was a closer correlation between the decrease in the norepinephrine content and the increase in the dopamine content in the hypothalamus and brainstem. Disulfiram also inhibits the replenishment of brain norepinephrine stores after depletion by oxypertine or reserpine. α-Methyl-L-tyrosine, an inhibitor of tyrosine hydroxylase, and disulfiram, an inhibitor of dopamine-β-hydroxylase, were compared with respect to the lowering of norepinephrine in the brain. Two hours after administration of the inhibitors, disulfiram was more effective in lowering the norepinephrine levels than α-methyl-L-tyrosine.
Footnotes
- Received May 13, 1966.
- Accepted January 25, 1967.
- © 1967 by The Williams & Wilkins Company
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