Abstract
Similarities between alcoholism and morphinism concerning the development of an addiction and symptoms of withdrawal led to the hypothesis that opiate-active compounds might be formed endogenously during the establishment of alcohol addiction (Huber and Melzig, 1992). This theory was supported by the proof of in vivo formation of various alkaloids in the human body. One hypothesis invoked the ethanol metabolite acetaldehyde as a critical intermediate in the biosynthesis of opiate-active compounds. Acetaldehyde can condense directly with catecholamines in tissues to form substituted 6,7-dihydroxy-l,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines, the most discussed compound being salsolinol (SAL). SAL might be formed in vivo by a non-enzymatic ring cyclization of dopamine (DA) with the ethanol oxidation product acetaldehyde to yield the racemic mixture of both, the (R)- and (S)-enantiomer. Another pathway is the condensation of dopamine with pyruvic acid, followed by enzymatic decarboxylation and reduction.
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Musshoff, F., Schmidt, P., Dettmeyer, R., Priemer, F., Wittig, H., Madea, B. (2000). Systematic Studies of Dopamine and Dopamine-Derived Salsolinol and Norsalsolinol levels in Various Human Brain Areas. In: Storch, A., Collins, M.A. (eds) Neurotoxic Factors in Parkinson’s Disease and Related Disorders. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1269-1_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-1269-1_10
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