Decrease of urinary levels of adrenergic metabolites including conjugated MHPG after a short term course of diethylpropion in obese children fed a mixed, low-calorie diet.
A short term course (8-11 days) of diethylpropion 50 mg a day was administered to 12 obese children of both sexes fed a mixed low calorie diet containing about 1000 calories/day. A group of 10 obese children received the same diet and no medication. The sex-distribution was similar in both groups as well as the degree of overweight (appreciated by the Quettelet index). The urinary excretion of some noradrenergic derivative (adrenaline-A, noradrenaline-NA, vanillyl-mandelic acid VMA, metanephrines NM and methoxy hydroxyphenyl glycol-MHPG) and of homovanillic acid (HVA) was measured in both groups before and after drug therapy or diet, respectively. After the diethylpropion course, the urinary mean value of MHPG decreased (2.17 +/- 0.30, mean +/- SE vs 1.47 +/- 0.21) but the significance was borderline. The mean level excretion of NA, VMA, MN and HVA were significantly lower following diethylpropion. No significant change was observed in the diet-only group of patients as regards the same determinations. These observations are not entirely explained by the previous pharmacologic knowledge on diethylpropion and other sympathomimetic amines.
Popa
M
M
C. I. Parhon, Institute of Endocrinology, Bucharest, Romania.
Stefănescu
A M
AM
Dumitriu
L
L
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004053:Diethylpropion / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D006018:Glycols / Q000652:urine*; D006719:Homovanillic Acid / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008734:Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol / Q000652:urine*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000652:urine; D009765:Obesity / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000652:urine*; D014642:Vanilmandelic Acid / Q000652:urine
D006018:Glycols; D008734:Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol; D014642:Vanilmandelic Acid; D004053:Diethylpropion; D009638:Norepinephrine; D006719:Homovanillic Acid