Summary
Plasma dopamine-β-hydroxylase activity after an almost maximum work load (bicycle ergometer; 100–250 watt for 6–10 min) has been investigated in 34 healthy volunteers. In all the experiments the enzyme activity increased by about 25%. The percentage increase in the enzyme activity was independent of the initial enzyme level, which showed extreme inter-individual variation (range 4 to 340 enzyme units). After a resting period of one hour the raised enzyme activity had returned to normal. It appears that a high resting level of the enzyme may be due to its rapid turnover, i.e. rapid release from the sympathetic nervous system and its speedy elimination from the plasma, and, low basal activity may be indicative of slow turnover. — The increase in the activity of dopamine-β-hydroxylase in plasma during exercise is a measure of the acute elevation of sympathetic tone.
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Planz, G., Palm, D. Acute enhancement of dopamine-β-hydroxylase activity in human plasma after maximum work load. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 5, 255–258 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00567014
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00567014