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Catecholamine – Function, Effects and Significance

Catecholamines are endogenous signaling molecules such as adrenaline, noradrenaline, and dopamine that act as hormones and neurotransmitters, playing key roles in the stress response.

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Things worth knowing about "Catecholamine"

Catecholamines are endogenous signaling molecules such as adrenaline, noradrenaline, and dopamine that act as hormones and neurotransmitters, playing key roles in the stress response.

What Are Catecholamines?

Catecholamines are a group of chemically related signaling molecules biosynthesized from the amino acid tyrosine. The most important catecholamines are adrenaline (epinephrine), noradrenaline (norepinephrine), and dopamine. They function both as hormones and neurotransmitters and are involved in a wide range of vital bodily functions.

Biological Functions

Catecholamines play a central role in regulating the cardiovascular system, metabolism, and the stress response. Their key functions include:

Adrenaline: Produced in the adrenal medulla and released during acute stress. It increases heart rate, dilates the airways, and mobilizes energy reserves, triggering the so-called fight-or-flight response.
Noradrenaline: Acts primarily on blood vessels to raise blood pressure. It is released both from the adrenal glands and at sympathetic nerve endings.
Dopamine: In the brain, it regulates motivation, reward, and movement. In the periphery, it influences kidney and heart function.

Synthesis and Degradation

Catecholamines are synthesized from the amino acid tyrosine through several enzymatic steps. They are broken down primarily by the enzymes MAO (monoamine oxidase) and COMT (catechol-O-methyltransferase). The resulting metabolites are excreted in urine and can be used diagnostically.

Medical Significance

Clinical Use

Synthetic or isolated catecholamines are used in medicine as critical emergency drugs. Examples include:

Adrenaline for anaphylactic shock, cardiac arrest, and severe asthma attacks
Noradrenaline in septic shock to stabilize blood pressure
Dopamine in heart failure and shock states (less commonly used today)

Diseases Related to Catecholamines

Disorders of catecholamine metabolism can lead to serious conditions:

Pheochromocytoma: Usually a benign tumor of the adrenal gland that uncontrollably secretes large amounts of catecholamines, causing episodic high blood pressure, sweating, and palpitations.
Parkinson's Disease: A deficiency of dopamine in specific brain areas leads to movement disorders.
Depression and anxiety disorders: Are associated, in part, with an imbalance of noradrenaline and dopamine in the brain.

Diagnostics

Measurement of catecholamines and their metabolites (e.g., metanephrines, vanillylmandelic acid) in blood or 24-hour urine samples is used to diagnose tumors such as pheochromocytoma and to assess stress responses and autonomic nervous system disorders.

References

Katzung B.G., Masters S.B., Trevor A.J. - Basic and Clinical Pharmacology, 14th edition, McGraw-Hill, 2018.
Guyton A.C., Hall J.E. - Textbook of Medical Physiology, 14th edition, Elsevier, 2020.
World Health Organization (WHO) - Model Formulary, Adrenaline and related substances, 2023. Available at: https://www.who.int

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