Changes of
Dopamine-Beta-Hydroxylase Activity During Ontogenesis in Healthy
Subjects and in an Experimental Model (Rats)
I. PACLT1, J. KOUDELOVÁ2
1Department of Psychiatry‚ First Faculty of Medicine,
Charles University Prague and General Teaching Hospital and
2Department of Physiology, First Faculty of Medicine,
Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
Received October 15, 2003
Accepted January 21, 2004
Summary
In children and adolescents (250 healthy subjects) serum
dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) activity (23.95.2 to 57.117.5
μmol/min/ml) increases with the age between 3-10 years, later it
decreases approximately by the age of 10-14 years. At the age of
21 to 60 years DBH level is stable. Our study described
decreasing DBH activity in adolescents at the age of 10-14 years
in the studied sample of healthy persons. Experimental animals
(200 Wistar rats, 5-120 days old) show the same trend of
enzymatic activity, similarly as in humans. DBH activity in rats
is between 0.850.1 to 2.80.05 μmol/min/ml. This activity is
highest in 5-day-old rats; it decreases till the age of 14 days
and increases mainly in 14- to 35-day-old animals. Decrease of
DBH activity in rats between 35 to 40 days is significant and
corresponds to the reduction of DBH activity in adolescent
humans (10-14 years). Adult rats (aged 90-120 days) show a
stable DBH activity. DBH activity intermediately decreases in
10- to 14-year-old children. This decrease corresponds to the
intermediate developmental changes of electrophysiological
parameters (decreasing EEG activity in healthy adolescents
occurs in 10-14 years old children). Puberty is coupled with
intermediate decreasing of DBH activity in man and also in
experimental animals in the period of prominent psychological
and physiological changes.
Key words
Dopamine-beta-hydroxylase (DBH) • Rats • Human • Serum •
Developmental changes • Noradrenergic system
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