Effect of Chronic Haloperidol on the Levels of Blood and Urinary Phenylethylamine and Phenylacetic Acid in Rats

Abstract

Phenylethylamine (PE) and/or its major metabolite phenylacetic acid (PAA) have been suggested to be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia ard the major affective disorders. In the majority of past studies on PE and PAA levels in urine of psychiatric patients, it has not been clear whether subjects were still receiving or recently withdrawn from antipsychotic medication. It is possible that such medication may contribute to changes in PE dynamics either during treatment or following withdrawal, though this possibility has not been thoroughly tested. Therefore, in a preliminary experiment we have directly tested the effects of a chronic neuroleptic schedule on the levels of PE in both blood and urine, and the levels of PAA in urine, of rats. Urinary excretion of these compounds was studied prior to drug treatment, during chronic treatment, and following withdrawal, while blood PE levels were observed immediately after and five days after the completion of a chronic treatment schedule.