Substantial Production of Dopamine in the Human Gastrointestinal Tract
Abstract
Considerable urinary excretion of dopamine metabolites indicates that large amounts of dopamine are produced in unknown locations of the body. This study assessed the contribution of mesenteric organs (gastrointestinal tract, spleen, and pancreas) to the total body production of dopamine in humans and examined the presence of the rate-limiting enzyme for dopamine synthesis, tyrosine hydroxylase, in gastrointestinal tissues. Blood sampled from an artery and portal and hepatic veins in eight subjects and from arterial and renal venous sites in other subjects was analyzed for plasma concentrations of dopamine and its metabolites. The activity and distribution of tyrosine hydroxylase was also examined in tissue samples from the stomach and duodenum. Higher concentrations of dopamine and its metabolites in portal venous than arterial plasma indicated substantial production of dopamine by mesenteric organs (12.0 nmol/min) amounting to 42-46% of the renal removal of circulating dopamine metabolites. Tissue samples showed immunoreactive tyrosine hydroxylase in nonneuronal cell bodies and detectable levels of tyrosine hydroxylase in nonneuronal cell bodies and detectable levels of tyrosine hydroxylase enzyme activity. The results show that mesenteric organs produce close to half of the dopamine formed in the body, most of which is unlikely to be derived from sympathetic nerves but may reflect production in a novel nonneuronal dopaminergic system.
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Dopamine can be synthesized during stress in the GI tract.
“Lastly, dopamine, the precursor to NE and epinephrine, can also be synthesized during stress in the GI tract.”
From Exercise-induced stress behavior, gut-microbiota-brain axis and diet: a systematic review for athletes (2016) · cites this paper as [43]
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- Authors
- Eisenhofer, G., Åneman, A., Friberg, P., Hooper, D., Fåndriks, L., Lonroth, H., Hunyady, B., & Mezey, E.
- Affiliations
- National Institutes of Health (US)
- Venue
- The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
- Publisher
- The Endocrine Society
- Published
- 1997-11
- Volume
- 82
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 3864-3871
- ISSN
- 0021-972X (ISSN-L)
- 1945-7197
- OpenAlex
- W2171081455
- Cited by
- 394
- References
- 36
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15 · 2025: 25 · 2024: 43 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 34 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 29 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 11
- FWCI
- 2.04
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Rockefeller Foundation
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Clinical Biochemistry › Metabolism and Genetic Disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Neurology › Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and Treatments
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Keywords
- dopamine synthesis, gastrointestinal tract, tyrosine hydroxylase, dopamine metabolites, spleen, pancreas, stomach, duodenum
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Arteries, Blood Flow Velocity, Digestive System, Dihydroxyphenylalanine, Dopamine, Duodenum, Female, Gastric Mucosa, Humans, Kidney, Male, Middle Aged, Norepinephrine, Pancreas, Portal Vein, Spleen, Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase
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