Ventricular myocardial catecholamines in primates.
We report myocardial catecholamine levels in primate ventricles assayed by high-pressure liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. The norepinephrine content of the left ventricles of 11 monkeys (four rhesus and seven cynomolgus) was 1391 +/- 362 ng/gm (+/-SD) with a definite gradient from base (highest) to apex (lowest concentration). Dopamine and epinephrine were present in much lower concentrations (51.8 +/- 24.5 ng/gm and 59.2 +/- 20.0 ng/gm, respectively), but were similarly distributed throughout the left ventricle. There was considerable variation in norepinephrine concentration between animals, but the dopamine/norepinephrine ratio was very consistent within a given animal, averaging 3.7% +/- 1.4%. These values are probably indicative of what normal concentrations of catecholamines are likely to be in humans, and provide a basis for interpretation of results obtained in disease studies.
D000818:Animals; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000032:analysis*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods; D004298:Dopamine / Q000032:analysis; D004563:Electrochemistry; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006346:Heart Septum / Q000032:analysis; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000032:analysis* / Q000294:innervation; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008297:Male; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000032:analysis
D002395:Catecholamines; D004298:Dopamine; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine