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5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) uptake and decarboxylation in the kitten brain

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Summary.

This study reports the presence of noradrenergic (NA) neurons which are capable to take up 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) and decarboxylate it to 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT serotonin) in the kitten brain. After loading of 5-HTP and monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), we could demonstrate 5-HT-immunoreactivity (IR) not only in hypothalamic and midbrain dopaminergic (DA) cell bodies, but also in NA ones located in the pons and medulla oblongata of the new born kitten aged from 1 to 7 days. NA cell bodies could no longer show 5-HT-IR after this treatment in the kitten older than 1 month. On the other hand, 5-HT-IR in the ventrolateral posterior hypothalamic (VLPH) cells was very weak at birth and became more and more intense after 15 days of age. Finally, after loading of tryptophan (TP) and MAOI, 5-HTP uptake cells mentioned above did not express 5-HT-IR in the kitten brain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1.  Département de neurobiologie des états de sommeils et d'éveil, Faculté de Médecine, Université Claude Bernard, and Hôpital Neurologique, Lyon, France, , , , , , FR

    K. Kitahama & A. Jouvet

  2.  Department of Anatomy, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, and, , , , , , JP

    M. Fujimiya & R. Arai

  3.  Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan, , , , , , JP

    I. Nagatsu

Authors
  1. K. Kitahama
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  2. A. Jouvet
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  3. M. Fujimiya
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  4. I. Nagatsu
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  5. R. Arai
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Additional information

Received December 17, 2001; accepted February 21, 2002

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Kitahama, K., Jouvet, A., Fujimiya, M. et al. 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) uptake and decarboxylation in the kitten brain. J Neural Transm 109, 683–689 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s007020200057

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s007020200057

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