Serotonin oxidation by type B MAO of rat brain

The two MAO types in rat brain can be selectively inhibited by administering intraperitoneal injections of clorgyline or pargyline in suitable doses. Brain mitochondria prepared from such animals exhibit type B or type A MAO activity, respectively. In vitro clorgyline and deprenyl dose-response curves confirmed the purity of the enzyme preparations. Specific activities and K_m values of such preparations were determined for tyramine, serotonin and benzylamine. Type B and type A MAO were found to oxidize serotonin and benzylamine. respectively, although they had low affinities. Serotonin oxidation by mitochondria prepared from clorgyline treated animals showed type B characteristics also in its heat inactivation time course.     

Observations on the inhibition of rat liver monoamine oxidase by clorgyline

Two forms of monoamine oxidase (MAO) denned as MAO A and B by others differ in their specificities to substrates and their sensitivities to the irreversible inhibitor clorgyline. From studies using the substrates 5-HT, tyramine and benzylamine, the presence of both MAO forms in rat liver mitochondria has been confirmed and some characteristics of their inhibition by varying concentrations of clorgyline investigated. Although both MAO forms showed time-dependent inhibition, this process occurred, in general, at a qualitatively slower rate for MAO B, despite the fact that this enzyme form requires higher concentrations of clorgyline than MAO A for inhibition of its activity. However, factors such as the concentration of enzyme, the concentration of clorgyline and the enzyme: drug ratio employed in the assay all influence the resultant time-course and the final degree of the inhibition observed. The possible importance of the lipid environment of the outer mitochondrial membrane in generating multiple MAO forms and in regulating the inhibition kinetics of these forms is discussed. The results indicate that the effects of pre-incubation time and the enzyme: drug ratio on inhibition of MAO by clorgyline should be fully recognized when using the drug to indicate multiple forms in animal tissues.     

Characterization and quantitation of monoamine oxidases A and B in mitochondria from human placenta

Monoamine oxidases (MAOs) A and B, flavin-containing enzymes found in the outer mitochondrial membrane, oxidize many important biogenic and xenobiotic amines. The two enzymes are expressed in many tissues, with some tissues containing primarily one form and others containing both. Although MAO in placental mitochondria is widely reported to be type A, some investigators have reported low levels of MAO B activity as well. Because placenta is considered the preferred source for purification of type A MAO, we have reinvestigated placental MAO by immunoblotting with monoclonal antibodies and active site labeling with the MAO-specific ligand [3H]pargyline. We have confirmed that placental mitochondrial preparations contain MAO A and low but significant MAO B catalytic activity, as judged by accepted pharmacological criteria (deprenyl-sensitive beta-phenylethylamine and benzylamine oxidation). Immunoblotting revealed polypeptides of sizes expected for both MAO A and B subunits in preparations of placental mitochondria, as well as in preparations of MAO A purified extensively from placenta by partitioning between dextran and polyethylene glycol polymers and chromatography on DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B. Both MAO A and B active sites could be quantitated in placenta by labeling mitochondrial preparations with the MAO-specific affinity ligand [3H] pargyline, followed by immunoprecipitation with MAO A- and MAO B-specific monoclonal antibodies. These results indicate that MAO B activity and protein is consistently present in mitochondrial preparations of human placenta.     

In vivo, noradrenaline is a substrate for rat brain monoamine oxidase A and B

In vivo clorgyline (5 mg/kg) and (-)-deprenyl (5 mg/kg) selectively inhibit monoamine oxidase (MAO) type A and B activities in rat brain hypothalamus and caudate nucleus using 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), noradrenaline (NA), and beta-phenylethylamine (PEA) as substrates. Clorgyline induces a significant increase in NA concentrations of hypothalamus and caudate nucleus; however (-)-deprenyl is without effect. The combination of clorgyline and (-)-deprenyl at the above doses completely inhibits both forms of MAO, resulting in an even greater increase in NA levels in both brain areas than observed with clorgyline. The non-selective inhibitor tranylcypromine (5 mg/kg) produced a similar effect. Rats pretreated with the selective or the non-selective inhibitors but given L-DOPA (50 mg/kg) have a similar pattern of brain NA, but its concentrations are higher in both brain regions. The results indicate that although in vitro NA may be an exclusive substrate for MAO type A, in vivo, when this enzyme form is selectively inhibited, NA at high concentrations can be a substrate for MAO type B.     

Monoamine oxidase activities in lymphocytes and granulocytes taken from pig blood

The characterisation of monoamine oxidase activities in lymphocytes and granulocytes was studied using cells prepared from pig blood. The specific activities against beta-phenylethylamine, benzylamine, tyramine and 5-hydroxytryptamine as substrates in granulocytes (G) were approximately twice those found in lymphocytes (L). The absence of the semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) was confirmed by insensitivity of the latter to semicarbazide as inhibitor with benzylamine as substrate. MAO activity present in (G) and (L) was selectively inhibited by low deprenyl concentrations; this fact, in addition to the simple sigmoid inhibition curves obtained with increasing concentrations of clorgyline with tyramine as substrate, suggests that the MAO activity present both in (G) and (L) is predominantly of the MAO-B form. The absence of any contamination with plasma amine oxidase (EC 1.4.3.6) was confirmed by the fact that activity towards benzylamine (Bz) was insensitive to KCN-induced inhibition. Kinetic constants were determined for each fraction towards beta-phenylethylamine (PEA) and Bz as substrates. MAO-B was titrated with unlabelled pargyline, deprenyl and [3H]-pargyline; the corresponding Kcat values, turnover number and the active concentrations were then determined. The molecular weight of MAO-B present in both cellular fractions was calculated by SDS-electrophoresis and fluorography, after reaction with [3H]-pargyline. Some of these results are compared with those obtained with human blood leucocytes.     

β-Phenylethylamine and benzylamine as substrates for human monoamine oxidase A: A source of some anomalies?

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) A predominates both in human placenta and lung. With 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), β-phenylethylamine (PEA) and benzylamine (Bz) as substrates and clorgyline and deprenyl, respectively, as selective MAO A and B inhibitors, their activity pattern has been defined and compared with that of human liver. PEA had a much higher V_max with placental MAO A than did Bz; it behaved largely as an A substrate in placenta, and partly as an A substrate in lung. At commonly used substrate concentrations, deamination of Bz (sensitive to 10^?7 M deprenyl) was a better indicator of MAO B activity than deamination of PEA. The divergence between PEA and Bz as MAO A and B substrates may be one reason for some of the apparent discrepancies in the behaviour of MAO A and B noted in a variety of tissues in the literature.However, Bz reacts with benzylamine oxidase (BzAO) as well as MAO B. Depending on the tissue, deprenyl-resistant Bz activity may indicate the presence of BzAO rather than MAO A. As there is a widespread distribution of BzAO in man and rat, BzAO should be considered among the alternatives of enzyme activity when Bz is used as substrate.     

Binding and deamination of various substrates by types A and B monoamine oxidase in bovine brain mitochondria

The binding and deamination of four substrates by type A and type B monoamine oxidase (MAO) in bovine brain mitochondria were investigated in mixed substrate experiments. MAO activity in bovine brain mitochondria, with 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) as substrate, was highly sensitive to clorgyline and less sensitive to deprenyl, while MAO activity with benzylamine or β-phenylethylamine (PEA) as substrate was highly sensitive to deprenyl and less sensitive to clorgyline. On the other hand, when tyramine plus PEA was used as substrate, the inhibition curves of clorgyline and deprenyl were both biphasic. These results indicate that 5-HT and benzylamine were preferentially deaminated by type A MAO and type B MAO, respectively, and that tyramine and PEA were deaminated by both types of MAO. Studies on the inhibition by clorgyline plus deprenyl of tyramine deamination (in the absence and presence of another substrate) showed that the deamination of tyramine by both type A and type B MAO was inhibited by PEA or benzylamine, while only type A MAO was inhibited significantly by 5-HT. The KA_i value, the dissociation constant of the type A MAO and 5-HT complex, and the KB_i values, the dissociation constants of the type B MAO and PEA or benzylamine complex, were almost equal to the K_m values of type A MAO and type B MAO respectively. The KA_i values for PEA and benzylamine were 78 and 58 μM respectively. For the type B MAO-5-HT complex, the dissociation constant KB_i was 1447 μM. These results show that type A MAO deaminates tyramine and 5-HT whereas benzylamine is not deaminated, but only binds to the substrate binding site of type A MAO with almost the same rate as that for deamination by type B MAO; with type B MAO, tyramine, PEA and benzylamine are deaminated, whereas 5-HT is not deaminated and binds to the substrate binding site of type B MAO with low affinity.     

Distribution and inhibition characteristics of human brain monoamine oxidase.

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity in 14 regions of 10 normal post-mortem human brains using 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT), benzylamine, tyramine and dopamine as substrates is presented. Regional distribution with 5HT, benzylamine and tyramine was generally similar with the highest activities observed in the hypothalamus. However, with dopamine as substrate, highest MAO activity occurred in the nucleus accumbens. Although there was relatively greater MAO activity towards 5HT than towards benzylamine in all four cerebral cortical areas studied compared with the caudate, putamen, accumbens and hypothalamus this apparently greater proportion of type A MAO in cortex could not be confirmed with the use of the specific inhibitor clorgyline. In some cases inhibition curves with clorgyline (and correspondingly with deprenyl) were not the expected double sigmoid shape. It is suggested that characterisation of MAO by techniques dependent on the use of specific inhibitors in samples of human brain collected and stored in the usual manner may prove difficult to interpret.     

Characteristics of mitochondrial and synaptosomal monoamine oxidase in monkey brain

Enzymic properties of monoamine oxidase (MAO) from monkey brain were studied. High MAO activity was observed in the mesencephalon and dienecephalon of the brain. Highest activity in every region of the brain was found with tyramine as a substrate. Monkey brain mitochondrial MAO showed a different substrate specificity and different Km and Vmax values than the enzyme from mice, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits. The pH activity curves were all bell-shaped, but the pH optima were remarkably different with the various substrates used. The activities of various substrates at pH 7.2 were compared with those at the pH optimum. At the pH optima, the activity was about 1.2-fold higher with tyramine and dopamine, 2-fold higher with beta-phenylethylamine (beta-PEA) and 3-fold higher with serotonin (5-HT) and benzylamine. These results were almost similar when synaptosomes from monkey brain were used. MAO activities with 5-HT and beta-PEA were strongly inhibited by much lower concentrations of clorgyline and deprenyl, respectively. Plateau-shaped inhibition curves by these inhibitors were obtained with tyramine as the substrate. These results indicate that both the A- and B-form of MAO appear to be uniformly distributed in monkey brain, and the A-form of MAO represents approximately 35% and 50% of the total MAO activity in mitochondria and synaptosomes, respectively.     

Studies on the subcellular localization of monoamine oxidase types A and B and its importance for the deamination of dopamine in the rat brain

The distribution of the MAO-forms A and B between intra- and extrasynaptosomal rat brain mitochondria was studied with the aid of their known substrate and inhibitor specificities. The activities with the selective substrates serotonin, PEA and benzylamine indicated that intrasynaptosomal mitochondria have about a 3.4-fold higher MAO A:MAO B ratio than extrasynaptosomal mitochondria. However, PEA was found to be a selective substrate for MAO B only at low concentrations (such as 5 × 10^?6M), whereas at higher concentrations (such as 10^?3M) it was a substrate for both forms of MAO. The different ratios of the two enzyme forms in the two mitochondrial populations were confirmed when the selective inhibitors clorgyline and deprenyl were used with dopamine or 10^?3M PEA. With these two amines, the ratios of MAO A: MAO B activities were 3–4.5 times higher in intrasynaptosomal than in extrasynaptosomal mitochondria. In particular, when the activity with dopamine was measured in intact synaptosomes, deamination being preceded by a specific uptake into these particles, the inhibitor sensitivities clearly showed that MAO activity was almost exclusively attributable to the A-form of the enzyme. Thus, mitochondria in the terminals of dopaminergic neurones have an even more pronounced enrichment in MAO A than the mitochondria obtained by osmotic lysis of a total brain synaptosomal preparation. It was also found that clorgyline and deprenyl have an inhibitory effect on the uptake of dopamine into nerve endings with IC₅₀ values in the range of 10^?5 to 10^?4M. These results are discussed in terms of possible physiological significancies of the properties and distribution of the two forms of MAO.     

Properties of a semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase in human umbilical artery

The metabolism of some aromatic amines by amine oxidase activities in human umbilical artery homogenates has been studied. The inhibitory effects of clorgyline showed that 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and tryptamine, 1 mM, were predominantly substrates for monoamine oxidase (MAO) type A, whereas MAO-A and B were both involved in the metabolism of beta-phenylethylamine (PEA), 100 microM, and tyramine, 1 mM. About 20-30% of tyramine and PEA metabolism was resistant to 1 mM clorgyline, but sensitive to inhibition by semicarbazide, 1 mM, indicating the presence of a semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO). Benzylamine, 1 mM, appeared to be metabolized exclusively by SSAO with a Km (161 microM) at pH 7.8 similar to that found for SSAO in other human tissues. Tyramine and PEA were relatively poor substrates for SSAO, with very high apparent Km values of 17.6 and 13.3 mM, respectively, when determined in the presence of clorgyline, 10(-3) M, added to inhibit any metabolism of those amines by MAO activities. However, kinetic studies with benzylamine indicated that clorgyline, 10(-3) M, also appears to inhibit SSAO competitively such that the true Km values for tyramine and PEA may be about 60% of those apparent values given above. No evidence for the metabolism of 5-HT or tryptamine by SSAO was obtained. The aliphatic amine methylamine was recently shown to be a specific substrate for SSAO in umbilical artery homogenates. We have used benzylamine and methylamine as SSAO substrates in histochemical studies to localize SSAO in tissue sections.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Substrate- and inhibitor-related characteristics of human platelet monoamine oxidase

Human platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) preferentially deaminated benzylamine and phenylethylamine, two substrates relatively specific for type B MAO, in comparison to 5-hydroxytryptamine, a substrate specific for type A MAO. In studies comparing human platelet and rat brain MAO specific activities, benzylamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine deamination by platelets was approximately 90 and 2 per cent, respectively, that of brain, while platelet deamination of dopamine, tryptamine and tyramine was 20 per cent or less than that of brain. Among sixteen drugs studied, platelet MAO activity was selectively inhibited by low concentrations of the MAO-B inhibitors, deprenyl and pargyline, and was relatively insensitive to the MAO-A inhibitors, clorgyline and Lilly 51641. These observations, in addition to the simple sigmoid inhibition curves obtained with increasing concentrations of either clorgyline or deprenyl, suggest that platelet MAO consists of essentially one distinguishable form of MAO which most closely resembles the MAO type B found in other tissues.     

Chronic MAO A and MAO B inhibition decreases the 5-HT1A receptor-mediated inhibition of forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase

The effect of chronic administration of various monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors on the ability of 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) to inhibit forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity was studied. Groups of 12 rats were given either saline, (E)-beta-fluoromethylene-m-tyrosine (MDL 72394 0.25 mg/kg p.o.), clorgyline (1 mg/kg p.o.), selegiline (1 mg/kg p.o.) or tranylcypromine (5 mg/kg p.o.) once a day for 21 days. Biochemical determinations were made 72 h after the final dose. MDL 72394 and tranylcypromine produced a nonselective inhibition of MAO but clorgyline and selegiline selectively inhibited MAO A and MAO B respectively. All treatments that inhibited MAO A also increased tissue levels of 5-HT. Chronic treatment with MDL 72394, clorgyline or tranylcypromine reduced the ability of 8-OH-DPAT to inhibit forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. These data suggest that chronic nonselective and chronic MAO A inhibition causes a down-regulation of the 5-HT1A-mediated inhibition of forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity.     

Substrate specificity and inhibitor sensitivity of monoamine oxidase in rat kidney mitochondria.

The deamination of the substrates 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), tyramine, dopamine, β-phenylethylamine and benzylamine by rat kidney mitochondrial monoamine oxidase (MAO) was studied, and kinetic constants are reported for each substrate. By the use of the selective MAO inhibitors, clorgyline and deprenyl, 5-HT and benzylamine were found to be substrates for types A and B MAO, respectively, in this tissue, whereas the other substrates were metabolized by both forms of MAO. No evidence for any significant metabolism of 5-HT or benzylamine by other amine oxidases was obtained. However, some conditions under which the carbonyl reagents semicarbazide, isoniazid and aminoguanidine may interfere with assays for MAO, without actually affecting enzyme activity directly, are described. Preincubation of kidney mitochondria with histamine resulted in a time- and oxygen-dependent irreversible inhibition of both type A and type B MAO activity; the exact nature of the inhibitory agent and its mode of action remain to be determined.     

A comparative study of some kinetic and molecular properties of microsomal and mitochondrial monoamine oxidase

This experimental work tries to characterize the monoamine oxidase of microsomal origin through its kinetic and molecular properties, and to establish a comparative study with the enzyme present in rat liver mitochondria. The temperature effect upon this catalytic activity was examined and similar behaviour of MAO A and MAO B between both cellular fractions was found. The study of the pH dependence of initial velocity showed similar results both in mitochondria and in microsomes. The FAD cofactor is covalently attached to the MAO of microsomal origin. The FAD containing subunits corresponding to MAO A and MAO B, previous binding of the enzyme with [3H]pargyline and posterior SDS electrophoresis and fluorography, showed molecular weights of 65,900 and 62,400, respectively, in both cellular fractions. The inhibition curves with clorgyline, deprenyl, semicarbazide and KCN, measuring the remaining activity towards 1 microM of benzylamine, indicated that in mitochondria 5% of the total activity is due to the presence of SSAO activity whereas in microsomes this activity represents about 20%. From all these results it appears that mitochondrial and microsomal MAO are related enzymes, although further structural studies are necessary to confirm their possible identity.     

Cumulative effects of irreversible MAO inhibitors in vivo

The effects of repeated treatment with clorgyline, pargyline, deprenyl and tranylcypromine on MAO activity in rat brain and liver were investigated. MAO was measured with the substrates serotonin (5HT), phenethylamine (PEA) and, in some cases, t brain tissue after single and repeated administrations of 10 mg/kg s.c. clorgyline or deprenyl were also compared. Single doses of clorgyline (1 and 10 mg/kg s.c.) completely blocked the deamination of 5-HT. PEA deamination gradually decreased during the 14-day treatment. Pargyline in a dose of 0.3 mg/kg s.c. reduced both 5-HT and PEA deamination progressively over the same period. In the course of repeated treatment the effects of clorgyline and deprenyl on 5-HT and PEA deamination increased in intensity, by a factor of about 10 in the brain and about 3 in the liver. The potentiation of the effect of tranylcypromine was less marked (brain: × 4; liver: × 2). The rates of recovery of MAO activity were not greater after repeated than after single administrations of high doses of clorgyline and deprenyl, suggesting that the withdrawal of the drugs is not followed by a rebound phenomenon. Our results indicate that repeated treatment with suitable doses of clorgyline or deprenyl leads to specific reduction of either MAO A or B activity in brain, without producing any appreciable effect in the liver.     

The effects of thyroid hormones on monoamine oxidase in the rat heart

The administration of thyroxine to young male rats produced an increase in the specific activity of their cardiac monoamine oxidase (MAO). A reduction in the circulating concentrations of thyroid hormones, brought about by 2-thiouracil, led to a decrease. The relative change in activity produced was greater with tyramine than with benzylamine as substrate. By following the time-course of the return of enzyme activity, with tyramine as substrate, after a single injection of pargyline in vivo, it was concluded that both excess and lack of thyroid hormones cause their effects on MAO activity by changing the rate of synthesis of the enzyme and not its degradation rate constant. The degradation rate constant did change with the age of the animal. The MAO activity, which increased towards tyramine as substrate in hyperthyroid rat hearts, behaved in the same way as that of controls to heat treatment, irreversible inhibition by pargyline or by clorgyline and also in K_m determinations. The pattern for benzylamine oxidation was similar, except for the effect of the inhibitor clorgyline which shifted the plateau region of the double sigmoid inhibition curve significantly using enzyme from hyperthyroid rat hearts. The plateau region was also shown to be affected by the age of the animal. The possibility is discussed that the increased cardiac MAO activity produced by thyroid hormones and by the growth of the animal is mediated by that form of the enzyme primarily responsible for the oxidation of tyramine. Mixed substrate experiments suggested that tyramine oxidation could be inhibited competitively by benzylamine.     

Evidence for a clorgyline-resistant monoamine metabolizing activity in the rat heart.

When benzylamine was used as substrate, a component of the total monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity in the rat heart was found to be resistant to inhibition by clorgyline. The proportion of the total activity represented by this component, decreased as the rat grew. It was also inhibited by both semicarbazide and isoniazid but not by potassium cyanide. Inhibitor studies with MAO in subcellular fractions showed that this component was more concentrated in the microsomal and soluble fractions. However, it could not be concluded that the activity was entirely a soluble enzyme. Determination of quasi-Michaelis constants ("Km") for total benzylamine oxidizing activity revealed a high ("Km" of approximately 10(-5)M) and low ("Km" of approximately 5 X 10(-4)M) affinity component. The high affinity component was inhibited by semicarbazide and the low affinity component by clorgyline. In the presence of 10(-3)M clorgyline, the high affinity component showed substrate inhibition at higher substrate concentrations. The possibility is discussed that the clorgyline-resistant activity is due to an amine-oxidizing activity distinct from mitochondrial MAO.     

Characterization of rat skeletal muscle monoamine oxidase.

Optimal conditions for deamination of 5-hydroxytryptamine in rat skeletal muscle were determined. The presence of monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and MAO B isozymes was demonstrated by the use of tyramine (a substrate of both forms), specific substrates (serotonin and benzylamine), and specific inhibitors (clorgyline and deprenyl) of MAO A and B respectively. A 6.5:3.5 ratio of MAO A to B was found using a whole muscle homogenate, while a 7.5:2.5 ratio was found with isolated mitochondria. Thermal inactivation studies demonstrated that skeletal muscle MAO A is more susceptible to heat inactivation than MAO B. The approximate proportion of muscle homogenate MAO which is present in sympathetic nerves was found to be 18 per cent, as determined by treating rats with 6-hydroxydopamine and quantifying the decrease in activity. Significant inhibition of MAO activity was observed after administration in vivo of the MAO inhibitors pargyline, tranylcypromine and harmaline.     

Enzymic and molecular characteristics of a new form of monoamine oxidase, distinct from form-A and form-B

The present study was undertaken to clarify the enzymic and molecular properties of monoamine oxidase (MAO) in carp brain. In particular, its sensitivities to selective MAO inhibitors, kinetic properties and molecular weight were compared with those of the enzyme in carp liver. The selective and potent MAO-A and MAO-B inhibitors FLA 788(+), FLA 336(+), MD 780236 and benzylcyanide caused dose-dependent inhibitions of MAO activity in both carp brain and liver; the inhibition curves were all single-sigmoidal, and the degrees of inhibition of the activities towards 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, selective MAO-A substrate), tyramine (substrate for both forms of MAO) and beta-phenylethylamine (PEA, selective MAO-B substrate) were similar. This was also the case for inhibition of activity in carp brain by the irreversible and selective MAO-A and MAO-B inhibitors clorgyline and I-deprenyl, indicating the presence in both preparations of a single MAO which differs from either form of MAO. Studies on the substrate specificities and Km values for these three substrates and the inhibitory effects of some compounds suggested that the enzymic characters of MAO in carp preparations were similar and that these enzymes might be FAD-containing enzymes, like MAO in various mammals. By labelling the preparations with radioactive pargyline and then subjecting them to sodium dodecyl sulfate electrophoresis, the apparent molecular weights of carp brain and liver MAO were estimated as 60,000 daltons. The same value was also obtained for rat brain and liver mitochondrial MAO-B. These results indicate that by the present definitions of MAO-A and MAO-B, MAO in carp brain and liver is similar to, but distinct from, both these forms of MAO.