title: Selective inhibitors of monoamine oxidase type B and the "cheese effect".
abstract: Potentiation of the cardiovascular and other effects of dietary tyramine by monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors (cheese effect) has been a major limitation to clinical use of these drugs. The discovery that MAO exists in two distinct isoforms, MAO-A and MAO-B, together with the development of selective inhibitors of each isoform, enabled the understanding that selective inhibition of MAO-A, or inhibition of both isoforms, will cause cheese effect, but selective inhibition of MAO-B can be elicited without dangerous pressor reaction. This development has permitted the introduction of selective MAO-B inhibitors to clinical medicine for treatment of Parkinson's disease. This review describes the basic mechanisms involved in cheese effect, as well as providing information on tyramine levels in a variety of foodstuff, and surveys clinical information from tyramine pressor testing with the selective MAO-B inhibitors, selegiline and rasagiline.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: John P M
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Finberg
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gillman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002611:Cheese / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000201:enzymology*; D007189:Indans / Q000494:pharmacology; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012642:Selegiline / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D007189:Indans; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors; C031967:rasagiline; D012642:Selegiline; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase