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Suppression of noradrenaline synthesis in sympathetic nerves by carbidopa, an inhibitor of peripheral dopa decarboxylase

Nature volume 265, pages 79–80 (1977)Cite this article

Abstract

IT is generally believed that noradrenaline synthesis in postganglionic sympathetic nerves can be suppressed by drugs which inhibit the activities of tyrosine hydroxylase or dopamine β-oxidase1,2, but not by inhibition of aromatic 1-amino acid decarboxylase (AAAD; dopa decarboxylase). We present here evidence that the administration to rats of carbidopa (MK-486; α-methyl-L-dopa-hydrazine), a peripherally acting inhibitor of AAAD3, not only blocks the decarboxylation of exogenous L-dopa (for example, in capillary endothelia within the central nervous system, liver, and kidney4,5), but also suppresses the decarboxylation of endogenous dopa formed from 3H-tyrosine within cardiac sympathetic nerve terminals. As a consequence, the drug inhibits noradrenaline synthesis in this tissue.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Neuroendocrine Regulation, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139

    RICHARD J. WURTMAN & CAROL J. WATKINS

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  1. RICHARD J. WURTMAN
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  2. CAROL J. WATKINS
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WURTMAN, R., WATKINS, C. Suppression of noradrenaline synthesis in sympathetic nerves by carbidopa, an inhibitor of peripheral dopa decarboxylase. Nature 265, 79–80 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/265079a0

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