Barbiturates and methyldopa metabolism.

Enhancement of methyldopa metabolism with barbiturate.

The spurious increase in serum catecholamine levels associated with methyldopa treatment can be reduced by the simultaneous administration of phenobarbitone. This accelerating effect of phenobarbitone on methyldopa metabolism has been demonstrated in relation to both adrenaline and noradrenaline, and investigations suggest that it is due to the effect of barbiturate on the activity of metaboliz...

Studies on the Metabolism and Mechanism of Action of Methyldopa.

THE decarboxylase-inhibiting, sedative, and antihypertensive properties of amethyl-3,4-dihydroxy-DI,-phenylalanine (DL-amethyl-dopa) in man were first reported from this department in 1960.1 It was shown subsequently that these three properties of the compound reside solely in the L isomer (methyldopa, Aldomet) .2, 3 Numerous favorable reports on the use of methyldopa in the treatment of hypert...

Barbiturates.

Comparative depression of several short acting barbiturates and spiro-barbiturates.

In an effort to develop new and possibly better types of barbiturates, suitable for intravenous use, a large number of spiro-barbiturates have been prepared by a ring closure on the 5-carbon atom of the barbituric acid and afforded for pharmacologic study. Spiro(2'-ethyl-3',5'-dimethyl cyclopentane) thio-barbituric acid appears to be the most promising product of a series of 50 analogues. Stoel...

Barbiturates and oxidative phosphorylation.

It has been claimed that barbiturates uncouple oxidative phosphorylations (Brody & Bain, 1954; Brody, 1955). These authors have demonstrated that during the oxidation of pyruvate by liver and brain mitochondria, phosphate uptake was lowered proportionately more than oxygen uptake. Support for the uncoupling theory was derived from certain similarities between the barbiturates and 2:4dinitrophen...