THE CONTENTS OF DOPA AND CATECHOLAMINES IN SEVERAL RAT TISSUES AND NICOTINE-INDUCED CONVULSIONS

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Abstract
Contents of DOPA [dihydroxyphenylalanine], dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine in the brain, heart and adrenal glan?s of rats which were administered 1-nicotine in dose of 20 mg/kg intraperitoneally were determined at 3 phases of the convulsion; tremor, clonic and tonic convulsions and at the moment of death. DOPA and catecholamine contents in the brain and heart were also determined in the adrenalectomized rats. As nicotine-induced convulsions advanced, DOPA and dopamine significantly increased in the brain of the normal rats, but had no remarkable change in the adrenalectomized rats. Norepinephrine increased only at tremor and then decreased in the brain in the normal rats. In the heart DOPA considerably increased at tonic convulsion in the normal rats, but no change in the adrenalectomized rats. Norepinephrine inc reased only at tremor and death in the adrenalectomized rats. In the adrenal glands, but norepinephrine and epinephrine decreased except the increase of epinephrine at tremor as convulsions developed. Dopamine remarkably increased at tonic convulsion. Nicotine at the high concentration of 10-3-10-2 [image] inhibited DOPA decarboxylase of rat brain and liver, but even at the high concentration scarcely inhibited monoamine oxidase. The preadministration of DOPA, tyrosine and dopamine influenced the nicotine convulsions in mice and the preadministration of decarboxylase inhibitor also influenced the nicotine convulsions. On the basis of the results, some considerations were made on the relationship between nicotine-induced convulsions and changes of catecholamines.

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