Serum Dopamine-β-Hydroxylase Activity in Neuroblastoma

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Abstract
The activity of dopamine-β-hydroxylase, the enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of dopamine to norepinephrine, was measured in the serum of 22 patients with neuroblastoma and of 27 control subjects. Twelve patients with neuroblastoma had serum values in the range of the control subjects, whereas 10 had extremely high values. Patients with high serum dopamine-β-hydroxylase activity also excreted large amounts of the norepinephrine metabolite, vanillymandelic acid. There was no correlation between the serum dopamine-β-hydroxylase activity and the urinary excretion levels of dopamine and its metabolite, homovanillic acid. The assay of serum levels of the enzyme may be useful for diagnosis of neuroblastomas.
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