Monoamine oxidase inhibitors phenelzine and brofaromine increase plasma serotonin and decrease 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in patients with major depression: relationship to clinical improvement.

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Celada P, Perez J, Alvarez E, Artigas F

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors phenelzine and brofaromine increase plasma serotonin and decrease 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in patients with major depression: relationship to clinical improvement.

J Clin Psychopharmacol. 1992 Oct;12(5):309-15.

PubMed ID

1282522 [ View in PubMed

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Abstract

We have examined the effects of two monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors with different mechanisms of action--phenelzine and brofaromine--on peripheral serotonergic (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]) measures, sensitive to the inhibition of MAO-A (intra- and extracellular 5-HT and related metabolites in blood). Both drugs increased the concentration of 5-HT in platelet-free plasma (254%, p less than 0.001) in patients with depressive illness (DSM-III-R) after 6 weeks of daily treatment. Platelet 5-HT was also increased significantly in both drug treatment groups but more marked in the patient group treated with phenelzine. The acid/amine ratio at 6 weeks was 30% of pretreatment values (p less than 0.000) and individual variability correlated significantly with the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. Plasma 5-HT increased more markedly in responders than in nonresponders and a significant inverse relationship surfaced between plasma 5-HT and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. The results support other reports of comparable antidepressant efficacy for brofaromine and phenelzine, both inhibitors of MAO-A in humans. The consistent relationship we found between the biochemical and clinical changes again suggests and supports a key role of 5-HT in the antidepressant effect of these MAO inhibitors.

DrugBank Data that Cites this Article

Pharmaco-metabolomics

Drug	Drug Groups	Metabolite	Change	Description
Phenelzine	Approved	Serotonin	increased	Phenelzine increases the level of Serotonin in the blood
Brofaromine	Experimental	Serotonin	increased	Brofaromine increases the level of Serotonin in the blood