Tryptoline

Tryptoline is a natural organic amine. It is an alkaloid chemically related to tryptamines. Derivatives of tryptoline have a variety of pharmacological properties and are known collectively as tryptolines.

Additional recommended knowledge

Don't let static charges disrupt your weighing accuracy

Daily Visual Balance Check

Essential Laboratory Skills Guide

Pharmacology

Many tryptolines are competitive selective inhibitors of monoamine oxidase type A (MAO-A). 5-Hydroxytryptoline and 5-methoxytryptoline are the most active monoamine oxidase inhibitors with IC₅₀s of 0.5 μM and 1.5 μM respectively, using 5-hydroxytryptamine as substrate.

Tryptolines are also potent reuptake inhibitors of 5-hydroxytryptamine and epinephrine; a significantly greater uptake inhibitory selectivity being shown for 5-hydroxytryptamine than epinephrine. The comparison of the inhibition kinetics of tetrahydro-β-carbolines for 5-hydroxytryptamine and epinephrine uptake (with that of the platelet aggregation response to these amines) have shown that 5-hydroxymethtryptoline, methtryptoline, and tryptoline are poor inhibitors of uptake. In all respects 5-hydroxytryptoline and 5-methoxytryptoline showed greater pharmacological activity than the tryptoline and methtryptoline.

Although the in vivo formation of tryptolines has been a matter of controversy, they have profound pharmacological activity.

See also

• beta-Carboline
• Harmala alkaloid

References

• H. Rommelspacher, H. Kauffmann, C. Heyck Cohnitz and H. Coper (1977). "Pharmacological properties of tetrahydronorharmane (Tryptoline)". Journal Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology 298 (2): 83-91. doi:10.1007/BF00508615 DOI 10.1007/BF00508615.