Abstract
Using anesthetized rats, we examined the effects of four aliphatic amines [monomethylamine (MMA), dimethylamine (DMA), trimethylamine (TMA) and ethanolamine (ETA)] on heart rate (HR), arterial blood pressure (BP) and cervical sympathetic nerve activity by injecting them into the femoral vein.
1) MMA, DMA and TMA induced increases in HR and sympathetic nerve activity, while they induced either increases or decreases in BP, the former effect always being greater than the latter. Among the three aliphatic amines, TMA was most effective in inducing increases in HR and BP; a statistically significant difference was found at the dose of 1mg/kg bw
2) ETA was found to induce decreases in HR and sympathetic nerve activity following an increase in BP, indicating an action similar to noradrenaline.
3) These in vivo effects of aliphatic amines, particularly that of TMA, suggest their contribution to some of the symptoms seen in uremic patients.
