title: Evidence for a physiological reduction in brain dopamine but not norepinephrine metabolism during the preovulatory phase in normal women.
abstract: To investigate the role of brain catecholamine (CA) activity in the mechanisms related to physiological ovulatory function, we used high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detector to measure the levels of urinary dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (E), vanillylmandelic acid (VMA), homovanillic acid (HVA), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), and total 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenylglycol (MHPG) in a group of 12 normal women during both the early follicular and pre-ovulatory phases of the menstrual cycle. The mean (+/- SEM) concentrations of HVA and DOPAC were significantly lower (P less than 0.001) during the pre-ovulatory phase than during the early follicular phase, whereas those of DA, NE, E, VMA and total MHPG were unaltered. A significant negative correlation between urinary HVA and plasma LH (r = -0.70, P less than 0.01) was also found during the pre-ovulatory period, whereas no significant negative correlations were found between urinary HVA and plasma PRL, progesterone and oestradiol. These data show: 1) reduced brain DA activity and 2) unchanged brain NE activity at the time of the midcycle surge in normal women, suggesting a physiological variation of the central DA metabolism in ovulatory function.
authors: Institute of Reproductive Physiology and Pathology, University of Bologna, Italy.
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Paradisi
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Grossi
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Venturoli
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Capelli
authors: O
authors: O
authors: Magrini
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Porcu
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Pasquali
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Flamigni
mesh_terms: D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid / Q000652:urine; D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005498:Follicular Phase; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000097:blood; D006719:Homovanillic Acid / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000378:metabolism*; D010908:Pituitary Hormones, Anterior / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D010908:Pituitary Hormones, Anterior; D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid; D004298:Dopamine; D009638:Norepinephrine; D006719:Homovanillic Acid