The Contribution of cocoa additive to cigarette smoking addiction

RIVM report 650270002 Page 169 of 207
Octopamine
Reproduction toxicology
Human
No data available.
Animal
No data available.
Mutagenicity
Human
No data available.
Animal
No data available.
Other
Critical assessment
No human toxicological data are available on octopamine inhalation. Mainly animal
LD50 data are available.
Conclusion
No data are available on octopamine toxicological effects in human.
INTERACTIONS
Chemical
Octopamine undergoes self-condensation between 155 ºC and 190 ºC in which the
two amine groups yield 2,5-diaryl-piperazine derivative, with loss of two molecules
of water (39).
In vivo
The effect of octopamine (0.158 – 15.8 µM) on the twitch responses of the prostatic
portion of the rat vas deferens to electrical stimulation (0.025 Hz) was affected by
inhibitor (praglyline) of monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity and antagonists of α1and
α2-adrenoceptors (corynanthine and yohimbine), respectively. Pretreatment with
reserpine (5 mg/kg, 24 h; 2.5 mg/kg, 2 h before the experiment) largely prevented the
effects of p-octopamine, but the amine still modified the twitch responses to field
stimulation. Cocaine (10 µM) did not antagonize, but rather enhanced the inhibitory
effects of p-octopamine in tissues with normal contents of noradrenaline (40).
The MAO-inhibitors and α-adrenergic antagonist seems to affect octopamine
turnover in the mammalian brain (41, 42).
Octopamine (50 and 250 µg ivc) potentiated the tremorine (10 mg/kg ip) induced
hypothermia in the rat. This effect was partially antagonized by atropine (10 mg/kg
ip). Octopamine significantly prolonged the duration of pilocarpine (100 mg/kg iv)
induced catalepsy in rats (43).