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The deamination of dopamine by human brain monoamine oxidase

Specificity for the two enzyme forms in seven brain regions

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Summary

The deamination of dopamine has been studied in seven regions of human brain. Both A and B forms of the enzyme were found to be active towards this substrate. The ratio of activities of MAO-A: MAO-B was found to vary considerably from brain region to brain region, from about 1∶1 for the cerebral and cerebellar cortex to about 1∶2 for the pons and medula oblongata. Enzyme titration studies and comparisons of the substrate specificities of MAO-A and MAO-B across the brain indicated that dopamine was metabolised by the same MAO active centres as other monoamines. In the cerebral cortex, the K m values of MAO-A and-B towards dopamine were found to be 210 and 230 μM, respectively, indicating that the relative contributions of these two forms towards the oxidation of this substrate will not be significantly affected by changes in its concentration.

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O'Carroll, AM., Fowler, C.J., Phillips, J.P. et al. The deamination of dopamine by human brain monoamine oxidase. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch. Pharmacol. 322, 198–202 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00500765

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00500765

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