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. 1970 Aug;39(4):779–788. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1970.tb09904.x

Accumulation of dopamine by blood platelets from normal subjects and parkinsonian patients under treatment with L-DOPA

D J Boullin, R A O'Brien
PMCID: PMC1702717  PMID: 5485151

Abstract

1. Human blood platelets have been shown to take up dopamine by an energy-dependent, saturable process that is inhibited by 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), desipramine and other drugs.

2. Platelets from parkinsonian subjects receiving oral L-DOPA also took up dopamine.

3. When the responses of normal and parkinsonian platelets were compared, the parkinsonian cells showed the following differences: increased affinity for the dopamine transport process; decreased equilibrium concentrations of dopamine after incubation for 90 min, and greater efflux of dopamine from loaded platelets during a 10 min incubation.

4. There were no differences in the uptake of 5-HT by parkinsonian platelets, but endogenous 5-HT was significantly reduced; ATP was normal.

5. In two out of three samples of platelets from parkinsonian subjects, traces of a dopamine-like substance were detected, but this finding requires confirmation.

6. If the platelet is a valid model for dopaminergic brain neurones, then the results described would suggest that dopamine uptake and storage may be abnormal in brain neurones in Parkinson's disease.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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