Summary
In male rats some metabolic effects of l-dopa and dopamine were compared with those of noradrenaline, adrenaline and tyramine by measuring the changes of plasma free fatty acids (FFA), plasma glycerol and plasma glucose as well as those of blood lactate and blood pyruvate. After intravenous injection of dopamine lactate and pyruvate concentrations were elevated maximally already within 5 min and returned to control levels after 10–20 min, i.e. at a time, when the levels of FFA, glycerol and glucose were maximally elevated in plasma. l-dopa had about 1/8 to 1/6 the potency of dopamine in producing these metabolic effects. The effects of dopamine were similar to those obtained with 1/20 the dose of noradrenaline, while adrenaline produced a more pronounced hyperglycaemic response than dopamine did when given in lipolytically equieffective doses.
Pretreatment of the animals with phentolamine completely prevented the hyperglycaemic response to dopamine or noradrenaline without clearcut effects on the lipolytic effect of these catecholamines. Also, pretreatment with dihydroergotamine antagonized the hyperglycaemic effect of adrenaline and prevented that of dopamine and noradrenaline, while the effect of catecholamines on plasma glycerol concentration was not affected. However, the elevation in plasma FFA level induced by catecholamines was clearly antagonized by dihydroergotamine. The β-adrenolytic drug Kö 592 had no effect on the hyperglycaemic effect of dopamine or noradrenaline, but antagonized the lipolytic effect of these amines. Pargyline enhanced the elevation of FFA and glycerol induced by dopamine or noradrenaline but reduced their hyperglycaemic effect. Chemical sympathectomy induced by pretreatment with 6-hydroxydopamine prevented the hyperglycaemic and lipolytic effects of tyramine, antagonized those of dopamine and potentiated the lipolytic response to noradrenaline. The effect of syrosingopine on the metabolic responses to the catecholamines was similar to that of 6-hydroxydopamine.
Since the metabolic effects of dopamine were clearly antagonized by various α- and β-receptor-blocking agents and by chemical sympathectomy, we conclude that dopamine exerts its metabolic effects through a stimulation of α- and β-adrenoceptors and that part of this effect is mediated by a tyramine-like action of dopamine.
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Neuvonen, P.J., Westermann, E. Studies on some metabolic effects of dopa and dopamine in the rat. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch. Pharmacol. 284, 115–131 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00501117
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00501117