1. Discoveries, insights, and concepts that Julius Axelrod introduced about the disposition and metabolism of catecholamines provided the scientific basis and spurred the development of clinical catecholamine neurochemistry.
2. Here, we provide examples of this aspect of Axelrod's scientific legacy.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- MAO:
-
monoamine oxidase
- COMT:
-
catechol-O-methyltransferase
- DBH:
-
dopamine-ß-hydroxylase
- DHMA:
-
3,4-dihydroxymandelic acid
- DHPG:
-
3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycol
- DOPEGAL:
-
3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycolaldehyde
- DOPAC:
-
3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid
- DOPET:
-
3,4-dihydroxyphenylethanol
- DOPAL:
-
3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetaldehyde
- EPI:
-
epinephrine
- HVA:
-
homovanillic acid
- LAAAD:
-
L-aromatic-amino-acid decarboxylase
- MHPG:
-
3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol
- MIBG:
-
metaiodobenzylguanidine
- MN:
-
metanephrine
- 3-MT:
-
3-methoxytyrosine
- NE:
-
norepinephrine
- PD:
-
Parkinson disease
- NMN:
-
normetanephrine
- PNMT:
-
phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase
- TH:
-
tyrosine hydroxylase
- VMA:
-
vanillylmandelic acid
REFERENCES
Amino, T., Orimo, S., Takahashi, A., Uchihara, T., and Mizusawa, H. (2005). Profound cardiac sympathetic denervation occurs in Parkinson disease. Brain Pathol. 15:29–34.
Axelrod, J., and Tomchick, R. (1958). Enzymatic O-methylation of epinephrine and other catecholamines. J. Biol. Chem. 233:702–705.
Axelrod, J., Whitby, L. G., and Hertting, G. (1961). Effect of psychotrophic drugs on the uptake of 3H-noradrenaline by tissues. Science 133:383–384.
Baas, H., Beiske, A. G., Ghika, J., Jackson, M., Oertel, W. H., Poewe, W., and Ransmayr, G. (1998). Catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibition with tolcapone reduces the “wearing off” phenomenon and levodopa requirements in fluctuating parkinsonian patients. Neurology 50:S46–S53.
Bornstein, S., Breidert, M., Ehrhart-Bornstein, M., Kloos, B., and Scherbaum, W. (1995). Plasma catecholamines in patients with Addison's disease. Clin. Endocrinol. 42:215–218.
Crout, J. R., and Sjoerdsma, A. (1964). Turnover and metabolism of catecholamines in patients with pheochromocytoma. J. Clin. Invest. 43:94–102.
Eisenhofer, G., Friberg, P., Rundqvist, B., Quyyumi, A. A., Lambert, G., Kaye, D. M., Kopin, I. J., Goldstein, D. S., and Esler, M. D. (1996). Cardiac sympathetic nerve function in congestive heart failure. Circulation 93:1667–1676.
Goldstein, D. S., Eisenhofer, G., Dunn, B. B., Armando, I., Lenders, J., Grossman, E., Holmes, C., Kirk, K. L., Bacharach, S., Adams, R., Herscovitch, P., and Kopin, I. J. (1993). Positron emission tomographic imaging of cardiac sympathetic innervation using 6-[18F]fluorodopamine: Initial findings in humans. J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 22:1961–1971.
Goldstein, D. S., Eisenhofer, G., Flynn, J. A., Wand, G., and Pacak, K. (2004). Diagnosis and localization of pheochromocytoma. Hypertension 43:907–910.
Goldstein, D. S., Eisenhofer, G., Stull, R., Folio, C. J., Keiser, H. R., and Kopin, I. J. (1988). Plasma dihydroxyphenylglycol and the intraneuronal disposition of norepinephrine in humans. J. Clin. Invest. 81:213–220.
Goldstein, D. S., Holmes, C., Li, S. T., Bruce, S., Metman, L. V., and Cannon, R. O. (2000). Cardiac sympathetic denervation in Parkinson disease. Ann. Intern. Med. 133:338–347.
Hertting, G., and Axelrod, J. (1961). Fate of tritiated noradrenaline at sympathetic nerve endings. Nature 192:172–173.
Hertting, G., Axelrod, J., Kopin, I. J., and Whitby, L. G. (1961). Lack of uptake of catecholamines after chronic denervation of sympathetic nerves. Nature 189:66.
Kopin, I. J., and Axelrod, J. (1960a). 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylglycol, a metabolite of epinephrine. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 89:148.
Kopin, I. J., and Axelrod, J. (1960b). Presence of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol and metanephrine in phaechromocytoma tissue. Nature 185:788.
Kopin, I. J., Rundqvist, B., Friberg, P., Lenders, J., Goldstein, D. S., and Eisenhofer, G. (1998). Different relationships of spillover to release of norepinephrine in human heart, kidneys, and forearm. Am. J. Physiol. 275:R165–R173.
Lenders, J. W. M., Eisenhofer, G., Armando, I., Keiser, H. R., Goldstein, D. S., and Kopin, I. J. (1993). Determination of plasma metanephrines by liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. Clin. Chem. 39:97–103.
Lenders, J. W., Pacak, K., Walther, M. M., Linehan, W. M., Mannelli, M., Friberg, P., Keiser, H. R., Goldstein, D. S., and Eisenhofer, G. (2002). Biochemical diagnosis of pheochromocytoma: Which test is best? JAMA 287:1427–1434.
Mathe, A., and Knapp, P. (1969). Decreased plasma free fatty acids and urinary epinephrine in bronchial asthma. N. Engl. J. Med. 281:234–238.
Merke, D., Chrousos, G., Eisenhofer, G., Weise, M., Keil, M., Rogol, A., Van Wyk, J., and Bornstein, S. (2001). Adrenomedullary dysplasia and hypofunction in patients with classic 21-hydroxylase deficiency. N. Engl. J. Med. 343:1362–1368.
Myllyla, V. V., Sotaniemi, K. A., Illi, A., Suominen, K., and Keranen, T. (1993). Effect of entacapone, a COMT inhibitor, on the pharmacokinetics of levodopa and on cardiovascular responses in patients with Parkinson's disease. Eur. J. Clin. Pharmacol. 45:419–423.
Peuler, J. D., and Johnson, G. A. (1977). Simultaneous single isotope radioenzymatic assay of plasma norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine. Life Sci. 21:625–636.
Shannon, J. R., Flattem, N. L., Jordan, J., Jacob, G., Black, B. K., Biaggioni, I., Blakely, R. D., and Robertson, D. (2000). Orthostatic intolerance and tachycardia associated with norepinephrine-transporter deficiency. N. Engl. J. Med. 342:541–549.
Sisson, J. C., Frager, M. S., Valk, T. W., Gross, M. D., Swanson, D. P., Wieland, D. M., Tobes, M. C., Beierwaltes, W. H., and Thompson, N. W. (1981). Scintigraphic localization of pheochromocytoma. N. Engl. J. Med. 305:12–17.
Sjoerdsma, A., King, W. M., Leeper, L. C., and Udenfriend, S. (1957). Demonstration of the 3-methoxy analog of norepinephrine in man. Science 127:876.
Wurtman, R. J., and Axelrod, J. (1966). Control of enzymatic synthesis of adrenaline in the adrenal medulla by adrenal cortical steroids. J. Biol. Chem. 241:2301–2305.
Wurtman, R. J., Noble, E. P., and Axelrod, J. (1967). Inhibition of enzymatic synthesis of epinephrine by low doses of glucocorticoids. Endocrinology 80:825–828.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Goldstein, D.S., Eisenhofer, G. & Kopin, I.J. Clinical Catecholamine Neurochemistry: A Legacy of Julius Axelrod. Cell Mol Neurobiol 26, 693–700 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-006-9041-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10571-006-9041-0