Catecholamines and adrenergic pharm I Flashcards
What are the three naturally occurring catecholamines in the body? Which two are associated with the sympathetic system?
norepinephrine, epinephrine, dopamine
NE and Epi are the sypathomimetic catecholamines
What are six sites where drugs that modulate the actions of the sympathetic nervous system act?
- catecholamine biosynthesis
- storage/uptake of catecholamines into synaptic vesicles
- catechoamine release
- catechoamine metabolism
- uptace of catecholamines into presynaptic nerve endings
- cabechoamine binding to receptors
Where is dopamine found?
brain and in some interneurons of the PNS
What are the two dopamine pathways in the body?
nigrostriatal: involved in motor control and lost in Parkinson’s disease
mesolimbirc: reward behavior and addiction
hypothalamus: controls pituitary gland function
Where is norepinephrine?
postganglionic sympathetic nerve terminals and CNS. esp. in the locus coeruleus. some in adrenal medulla.
Where is/what is epinephrine?
neurohormone from adrenal medulla and CNS neurotransmitter localized in branstem; also small nuclei in the hypothalamus
What is the role of tyrosine hydroxylase?
convert tyrosine to DOPA during catecholamine synthesis
What cofactors are required for tyrosine hydroxylase? Where in the cell is it found? what should I know about it (important)
this is usually RATE-LIMITING
found in cytosol
requires Fe2+ and tetrahydropteridine cofactor
Describe the synthesis of NE. 4 steps
- tyrosine hydroxylase converts tyrosine to L-DOPA
- DOPA goes to dopamine via enzyme called AADC.
- Dopamine taken into vesicles by a transporter called VMAT.
- Dopamine converted to NE in the vesicle via enzyme called DBH
What should I know about tyrosine hydroxylase? (4 facts)
- rate-limiting
- cytosolic
- marker for doamine in neurons
- inhibited by alpha-methyl-tyrosine
- very specifc (unique in NE synthesis)
What should I know about aromatic amino acid decarboxylase? (rxn, localization)
aka AADC
- cytosolic
- converts DOPA to dopamine
What should I know about DBH? (localization, what inhibits it)what does it do.
dopamine beta hydroxyase
1. inside synaptic vesicles
2. inhibited by disulfiram (copper chelator)
disulfiram also has other effects (prevents EtOH metab :-).
3, converts dopamine to NE
What should I know about PNMT? (all about location, what does it do)
phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase
- cytosolic
- adrenal medulla
- makes epinephrine from NE
What 4 enzymes are involved in catecholamine synthesis?
- tyrosine hydroxylase
AADC (aromatic amino acid decarboxylase
DBH (dopamine beta hydroxyase)
PNMT (phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase
What 2 enzymes are involved in catecholamine metabolism?
MAO (monoamine oxidase)
COMT (catecholamine O-methyltransferase)