Relationships Between Alterations in Amine Metabolism and Blood Pressure

THERE HAS LONG been an appealing notion that naturally occurring pressor amines may be involved in some way in the pathogenesis of primary hypertension. While conclusions on this thesis have been drawn pro and con in the past, the fact of the matter is that we are only now beginning to emerge from an era of crude technique and inadequate information that largely precluded the attainment of meaningful results. The recent development of sensitive and specific methods of assay for some aromatic amines, the isolation and identification of "new" amines, and a more coherent understanding of the complex biochemical processes controlling the synthesis and degradation of amines are all factors that have led to new avenues of approach and broadening of concepts. Since the hypertension of man may be unique, we have chosen to investigate the overall status of aromatic amine metabolism in the intact hypertensive human, attempting whenever possible to confirm and extend findings in experimental animals. Major focal points of the studies have been: (a) development of methods to assess overall synthesis and metabolism of aromatic monoamines, (b) differentiation by chemical means of cases of essential hypertension from that resulting from pheochromocytoma, and (c) determination of biochemical and pharmacological response in hypertensive subjects to the administration of certain enzyme inhibitors. This report presents highlights of these investigations.