title: Dopamine is metabolised by different enzymes along the rat nephron.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the basal levels of dopamine (DA) and to examine the enzymes involved in DA metabolism in different microdissected nephron segments from rat kidneys. Segments were incubated with DA (50 nM) or DA plus monoamine oxidase (MAO) or catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) inhibitors. Basal DA levels were higher in the proximal convoluted tubule (PCT, 10.8+/-3.7 pg/mm) and in the medullary collecting duct (MCD, 10.9+/-4.0 pg/mm) than in the medullary thick ascending limb of Henle's loop (MTAL, 4.9+/-0.9 pg/mm) (P<0.05). The percentage of exogenously added DA that was not metabolised was similar in both PCT (67+/-13%) and MCD (65+/-5%) and lower in MTAL (35+/-7%), suggesting that MTAL is a major site of DA metabolism. Inhibition of MAO (pargyline 1 mM) significantly increased the basal content of DA and the percentage of the added non-metabolised DA (to 95+/-10%) in PCT but had no effect on MTAL or MCD. Conversely, inhibition of COMT (nitecapone or Ro-41-0960, both 1 mM) slightly increased the basal levels of DA only in MTAL, whereas the percentage of added DA not metabolised rose to 97+/-10% in MTAL and to 91+/-15% in MCD. COMT inhibition had no effect in PCT. In conscious rats pargyline (50 mg/kg) increased urinary DA from 680+/-34 to 1,128+/-158 ng/d/100 g BW (P<0.01) while nitecapone (40 mg/kg) produced a slight non-significant increment. Our results show that DA is present all along the rat nephron and that renal DA is metabolised continuously and predominantly by MAO in proximal segments, and by COMT in the more distal ones.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Riñón Experimental, Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas A. Lanari, Combatientes de Malvinas, 3150 C1427ARO, Buenos Aires, Argentina. ilanari@pinos.com
authors.forename: Fernando R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Ibarra
authors.forename: Inés
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Armando
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nowicki
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carranza
authors.forename: Verónica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: De Luca Sarobe
authors.forename: Elvira E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Arrizurieta
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barontini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001577:Benzophenones / Q000494:pharmacology; D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D065098:Catechol O-Methyltransferase Inhibitors; D002396:Catechols / Q000494:pharmacology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D007672:Kidney Cortex / Q000201:enzymology; D007679:Kidney Medulla / Q000201:enzymology; D007685:Kidney Tubules, Collecting / Q000201:enzymology; D007687:Kidney Tubules, Proximal / Q000201:enzymology; D008138:Loop of Henle / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D009318:Natriuresis / Q000187:drug effects; D009399:Nephrons / Q000201:enzymology*; D010293:Pargyline / Q000494:pharmacology; D010422:Pentanones / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D001577:Benzophenones; D065098:Catechol O-Methyltransferase Inhibitors; D002396:Catechols; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors; D010422:Pentanones; C071721:Ro 41-0960; C057364:nitecapone; D010293:Pargyline; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase; D002394:Catechol O-Methyltransferase; D004298:Dopamine