Summary
Prolactin (PRL) secretion is stimulated by serotonin (5-HT) and inhibited by dopamine (DA). 5-HT is generally recognized as a substrate for type A monoamine oxidase (MAO), whereas DA is considered as a substrate for either A or B, or both forms of MAO, depending on the species and tissues used. The effect of cimoxatone, a reversible, selective MAO-A inhibitor, on diurnal variation in plasma PRL level was investigated in healthy adults after a single 40 mg oral dose, as an indirect approach to investigating whether DA is preferentially a substrate for Type A or B MAO in man. The circadian rhythm in PRL, stress conditions and diet were taken into account in the present study, which was placebo-controlled. There was a slight but significant reduction in circulating PRL in the six subjects, which persisted for at least 9 h after cimoxatone. However, the duration of the decrease in plasma PRL was shorter than the inhibition of MAO-A. The results are not inconsistent with the presence of both forms of MAO in the human hypothalamus and with DA as a substrate for both forms in this region, if it is assumed that the hypothalamic concentrations of the drug during the period 0–9 hours was sufficiently high to inhibit DA deamination by both forms of MAO.
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Strolin Benedetti, M., Eschalier, A., Lesage, A. et al. Effect of a reversible and selective MAO-A inhibitor (cimoxatone) on diurnal variation in plasma prolactin level in man. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 26, 71–77 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00546712
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00546712