Life Sciences Commons^™

Monoamine Oxidase As A Target Enzyme In Pineal And Testicular Tissue: Adrenal Cortical Steroids And Arginine Vasotocin, Randall James Merrill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of the research was twofold: (a) To ascertain what effects the adrenal glucocorticoids and catecholamines have on pineal N-acetyltransferase and monoamine oxidase activity, and (b) to observe what effect arginine vasotocin (a pineal polypeptide) has on testicular monoamine oxidase activity.

Rat pineal N-acetyltransferase activity was numerically increased when rats were injected with cortisol. It was increased significantly when the animals were injected with cortisol plus norepinephrine. Adrenal demedullation significantly increased N-acetyltransferase activity in starved rats when compared with intact control animals. Moreover, bovine pineal monoamine oxidase activity was markedly inhibited in a dose-dependent manner when incubated in vitro …