J. Oates, P. Nirenberg, J. Jepson
Apr 1, 1963
Citations
0
Influential Citations
51
Citations
Quality indicators
Journal
Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine
Abstract
Summary 1. An increased production of phenethylamine was found in patients with phenylketonuria. 2. Phenethylamine synthesis was markedly reduced by α-methyldopa, an inhibitor of aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase. This suggests that the synthesis of phenethylamine from phenylalanine in humans is catalyzed by this decarboxylase. 3. Since aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase is present in brain, it is likely that increased amounts of phenethylamine are synthesized in the central nervous system of patients with phenylketonuria.