title: Effect of bromocriptine on plasma catecholamines in normal subjects and prolactin-secreting tumor patients.
abstract: The effect of short term bromocriptine (5 mg/day, 5 days) on plasma epinephrine (E), norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA) and prolactin (PRL) was studied in 4 normal women and 6 bearing PRL-secreting tumors. When studied on placebo no significant differences were found between controls and patients in E, NE and DA plasma levels. Bromocriptine induced: a 70% decrease in PRL levels in both groups, a significant (p less than 0.05) decrease in plasma NE levels in the control group, no significant change in plasma NE levels in the hyperprolactinemic patients when considered as a group. These results do not indicate that bromocriptine is a useful tool in the diagnosis of defective central dopaminergic regulation since individual responses of the PRL-secreting tumor patients were variable. Nevertheless, the impaired response of the group as a whole may be suggesting an underlying alteration of DA2 receptor activity in these tumor patients.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001971:Bromocriptine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000097:blood*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000097:blood; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D011954:Receptors, Dopamine / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines; D011954:Receptors, Dopamine; D001971:Bromocriptine; D011388:Prolactin; D004298:Dopamine; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine