Elevation of human plasma and platelet amine oxidase activity in response to intravenous dopamine

Healthy male volunteers were infused for three hours with either a dopamine hydrochloride solution at a rate of 4 ug/kg/min or with normal saline. Plasma amine oxidase and platelet MAO activity towards benzylamine both increased in response to intravenous dopamine. There was no increase in enzyme activity when dopamine was added to the platelet and plasma enzymes in vitro. This heretofore unreported increase in the oxidative deaminating capacity of the human organism may represent an adaptive physiologic response to the high circulating levels of dopamine and provides further evidence for a possible functional significance of these enzymes in man.