Summary
Sandler and his colleagues (see Sandler, 1982) have demonstrated the presence of an endogenous inhibitor of the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO) and of benzodiazepine receptor binding in the urine and blood plasma of man and rat. The concentrations of this material increased under stress conditions and it has been named “tribulin”. In the present experiments MAO-inhibitory activity was found in extracts of urine and plasma samples of domestic pigs. Evidence was obtained that the inhibitory activity was higher when pigs experienced slight discomfort. Thus it appears that pigs produce a substance similar to tribulin. It may become possible to use such MAO-inhibitory activity as an indicator in the assessment of interaction with the environment in pig husbandry.
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Sharman, D.F., Stephens, D.B., Cohen, G. et al. Variations in the monoamine oxidase-inhibitory activity (“tribulin?”) in pig's urine. J. Neural Transmission 69, 229–242 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01244344
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01244344