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Platelet monoamine oxidase B and plasma β-phenylethylamine in Parkinson's disease
  1. G Zhoua,
  2. Y Miuraa,
  3. H Shojia,
  4. S Yamadab,
  5. T Matsuishic
  1. aFirst Department (Neurology) of Internal Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine, 67 Asahi-machi, Kurume, Japan 830–0011, bInstitute of Brain Diseases, cDepartment of Pediatrics and Child Health
  1. Professor H Shojihshoji{at}med.karume-u.ac.jp

Abstract

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the correlation between changes in platelet monoamine oxidase type B (MAO-B) activity and plasma β-phenylethylamine (PEA) concentrations in patients with Parkinson's disease and controls.

METHODS Platelet MAO-B activity and plasma PEA were measured with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) in patients with Parkinson's disease treated with levodopa (12 men and 12 women) or selegiline (three men and three women), and physically healthy subjects as a control group (10 men and 10 women).

RESULTS Platelet MAO-B activity was significantly higher in the Parkinson's disease group (mean 542 (SD 318) pmol/107 platelets/30 min) than in the control group (mean 349 (SD 307) pmol/107 platelets/30 min) (p<0.05). By contrast, the plasma PEA concentrations in patients with Parkinson's disease were significantly lower than in the control group (mean 532 (SD 243) pg/ml; 931 (SD 560) pg/ml) (p<0.01). The plasma PEA concentrations in patients with Parkinson's disease treated with selegiline were prominently higher than in patients with no selegiline treatment (p<0.001). There was a significantly negative correlation between platelet MAO-B activity and plasma PEA concentrations in patients (n=24, r=−0.466, p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS The increase in platelet MAO-B activity and decrease in plasma PEA concentrations in patients with Parkinson's disease may be involved in the pathophysiological processes of the disease, and these changes are reversed by treatment with selegiline.

  • monoamine oxidase B
  • β-phenylethylamine
  • Parkinson's disease

https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp.70.2.229

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