A role for a new vascular enzyme in the metabolism of xenobiotic amines.

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Abstract
Although it has long been thought that environmental toxins may play an underlying role in vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, this concept is not supported by any clear-cut experimental evidence of toxic metabolism by cardiovascular enzymes. In this study, we demonstrate that allylamine, a selective cardiovascular toxin in vivo, is actively metabolized in vitro by a purified vascular enzyme (semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase), which has been localized recently to vascular smooth muscle cells. Oxidative deamination of allylamine to a highly toxic aldehyde, acrolein, was blocked through enzyme inhibition by semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase suggests that this vascular enzyme's physiological role may include metabolism of exogenous amines.