Octopamine Release Research Articles

Release of octopamine and α-methyloctopamine by l-dopa

The effect of l-dopa on the distribution of 3H-octoparaine and 3H-α-methyloctopamine in rat was examined. 3H-tyramine or 3H-α-methyltyramine was administered to normal rats and the labeled octopamine recovered by column chromatography. l-Dopa released greater than 95 per cent of the octopamine from both the synaptosomes and the supernatant and greater than 80 per cent of the α-methyloctopamine from the same fractions. Other experiments using inhibitors of dopadecarboxylase as well as inhibitors of β-hydroxylation suggest that the active agent in releasing these β-hydroxylated phenylethanolamines was dopamine.