Summary
Monoamine oxidase was investigated histochemically in tissues of the mouse by incubating freeze-dried, whole-body sections with tryptamine, serotonin, tyramine, β-phenylethylamine, or benzylamine as substrate and Nitroblue tetrazolium as the final electron acceptor. The most intense staining with tryptamine was exhibited by intestinal epithelium and adrenal cortex; moderate staining was noted in the epithelium of the nose, bronchi, oesophagus, and upper stomach and in preputial gland, pancreas, nerve, spinal cord and brain. Weak staining was seen in the lung, spleen, liver and kidney. The distribution of the formazan deposition was similar, but much less intense, when serotonin and tyramine were used as the substrates. Only very weak staining was observed when β-phenylethylamine was the substrate; no staining was seen with benzylamine. Monoamine oxidase activities with tryptamine were greatly inhibited by pretreatment with clorgyline (10 μm), while deprenyl (10 μm) slightly inhibited activities in all tissues except liver. This staining technique should be useful in further studies on the identification of the multiple forms of monoamine oxidase in tissues of the mouse. Nicotine and nitrosonornicotine were not substrates in any of the tissues; consequently, this enzyme system does not appear to produce the proximal carcinogen from this nitrosamine.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Collins, G. G. S. &Sandler, M. (1971) Human blood platelet monoamine oxidase.Biochem. Pharmac. 20, 289–96.
Denney, R. M., Fritz, R. R., Patel, N. T. &Abell, C. W. (1982) Human liver MAO-A and MAO-B separated by immunoaffinity chromatography with MAO-B-specific monoclonal antibody.Science 215, 1400–3.
Egashira, T., Ekstedt, B. &Oreland, L. (1976) Inhibition by clorgyline and deprenyl of the different forms of monoamine oxidase in rat liver mitochondria.Biochem. Pharmac. 25, 2583–6.
Fowler, C. J., Callingham, B. A., Mantle, T. J. &Tipton, K. F. (1978) Monoamine oxidase A and B: A useful concept?Biochem. Pharmac. 27, 97–101.
Fujimoto, T., Inomata, K. &Ogawa, K. (1982) A cerium method for the ultracytochemical localization of monoamine oxidase activity.Histochem. J. 14, 87–98.
Glenner, G. G., Burtner, H. J. &Brown, G. W. Jr (1957) The histochemical demonstration of monoamine oxidase activity by tetrazolium salts.J. Histochem. Cytochem. 5, 591–600.
Graham, R. C. &Karnovsky, M. J. (1965) The histochemical demonstration of monoamine oxidase activity by coupled peroxidatic oxidation.J. Histochem. Cytochem. 13, 604–5.
Hanker, J. S., Kusyk, C. J., Bloom, F. E. &Pearse, A. G. E. (1973) The demonstration of dehydrogenase and monoamine oxidase by the formation of osmium blacks at the sites of Hatchett's brown.Histochemie 33, 205–30.
Houslay, M. D. &Tipton, K. F. (1976) Multiple forms of monoamine oxidase; fact and artefact.Life Sci. 19, 467–78.
Koelle, G. B. &Valk, Jr, A. de T. (1954) Physiological implications of the histochemical localization of monoamine oxidase.J. Physiol. 126, 434–447.
Lowe, M. C., Reichenbach, D. D. &Horita, A. (1975) Extraneuronal monoamine oxidase in rat heart: Biochemical characterization and electron microscopic localization.J. Pharmac. exp. Ther. 194, 522–6.
Pearse, A. G. E. (1972)Histochemistry, Theoretical and Applied, 3rd edn, Vol. II, p. 869. London: Churchill Livingston.
Schurr, A. (1982) Monoamine oxidase: To B or not to B? (mini-review).Life Sci. 30, 1059–63.
Shannon, Jr, W. A., Wasserkrug, H. L. &Seligman, A. M. (1974) The ultrastructural localization of monoamine oxidase (MAO) with tryptamine and a new tetrazolium salt, 2-(2′-benzothiazolyl)-5-styryl-3-(4′-phthalhydrazidyl) tetrazolium chloride (BSPT).J. Histochem. Cytochem. 22, 170–82.
Squires, R. F. (1972) Multiple forms of monoamine oxidase in intact mitochondria as characterized by selective inhibitors and thermal stability: A comparison of eight mammalian species.Adv. Biochem. Psychopharmac. 5, 355–70.
Tipton, K. F. (1975) Monoamine oxidase. InHandbook of Physiology, Section 7, Vol. 6 (edited byBlaschko, H. andSmith, A. D.), pp. 677–97. Washington, DC: American Physiological Society.
Tipton, K. F. (1980) Monoamine oxidase. InEnzymatic Basis of Detoxication Vol. 1 (edited byJakoby, W. B.), pp. 355–70. New York, London: Academic Press.
Tipton, K. F., Youdim, M. B. H. &Spires, I. P. C. (1972) Beef adrenal medulla monoamine oxidase.Biochem. Pharmac. 21, 2197–204.
Toyoshima, Y., Kinemuchi, H. &Kamijo, K. (1979) Nonexistence of a type C monoamine oxidase in rat brain.J. Neurochem. 32, 1183–9.
Waddell, W. J. &Marlowe, C. (1977) Autoradiography. InDrug Fate and Metabolism: Methods and Techniques Vol. 1 (edited byGarrett, E. R. andHirtz, J. L.), pp. 1–25. New York: Marcel Dekker.
Waddell, W. J. &Marlowe, C. (1983) Inhibition by alcohols of the localization of radioactive nitrosonornicotine in sites of tumor formation.Science 221, 51–3.
Williams, D., Gascoigne, J. E. &Williams, E. D. (1975a) A tetrazolium technique for the histochemical demonstration of multiple forms of rat brain monoamine oxidase.Histochem. J. 7, 585–97.
Williams, D., Gascoigne, J. E. &Williams, E. D. (1975b) A specific form of rat brain monoamine oxidase in circumventricular structures.Brain Res. 100, 231–5.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Egashira, T., Waddell, W.J. Histochemical localization of monoamine oxidase in whole-body, freeze-dried sections of mice. Histochem J 16, 919–929 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01003848
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01003848