In vivo monitoring of the monoamine neurotransmitters in the rat brain by microdialysis coupled with the liquid chromatography dual electrochemical detector

The carbon film based ring-disk dual electrodes in the thin-layer radial flow cell are used as the dual electrochemical detector (DECD) for liquid chromatography (LC) to determine the monoamine neurotransmitters. Cyclic voltammetric experiments show there has great difference in the reversibility of the oxidative reactions of dopamine and ascorbate. Therefore the ring-disk dual electrode arrangement in the radial flow cell can effectively remove the interference of ascorbate and determine dopamine in the LC-DECD. In order to obtain the better collection efficiency (CE) and better peak current of analytes in the LC-DECD, several operational parameters have been investigated: flow rate, pH and the working potentials. Under the optimum conditions, the method shows a good stability and reproducibility to determine dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), epinephrine (E) and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC). The limits of detection are 0.1 pmol for DA, 0.1 pmol for NE, 0.1 pmol for 5-HT, 1.0 pmol for E and 0.1 pmol for DOPAC. The application of this method, coupled with microdialysis sampling, for the in vivo determination of the monoamine neurotransmitters in the striatum of the rat brain is satisfactory.     

Microdialysate analysis of monoamine neurotransmitters—A versatile and sensitive LC–MS/MS method

We have developed and validated a sensitive method for the simultaneous determination of some monoamine neurotransmitters like dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE) and serotonin (5-HT) in rat brain microdialysate using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Sensitivity enhancement has been achieved by amine derivatization with the reagent (5-N-succinimidoxy-5-oxopentyl)triphenylphosphonium bromide (SPTPP) under mild conditions. The use of the selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode has allowed detection of the analytes at a concentration of 30 pM (lower limit of quantification, LLOQ, signal-to-noise ratio higher than 5) with an accuracy of ≤3.80% and a precision of ±7.39 (%CV) for all neurotransmitters. Derivatization improves resolution and chromatographic retention times (3 min) by lipophilization. Linearity has been good (R > 0.99) over a large concentration range (30–50,000 pM). The intra and inter-batch accuracy and precision were not greater than 4.8% and 6.4%, respectively. Therefore, the method was successfully applied for monitoring the concentration changes of neurotransmitters in microdialysis samples deriving from striatum rat brain region after amphetamine administration (3 mg kg⁻¹, i.p.).     

Sensitive determination of norepinephrine,epinephrine, dopamine and 5‐hydroxytryptamine by coupling HPLC with [Ag(HIO6)2]5−–luminol chemiluminescence detection

Based on the enhancing effects of norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (EP), dopamine (DA) and 5‐hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT) on the chemiluminescence (CL) reaction between [Ag(HIO₆)₂]^5? and luminol in alkaline solution, a high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with CL detection was explored for the sensitive determination of monoamine neurotransmitters for the first time. The UV–visible absorption spectra were recorded to study the enhancement mechanism of monoamine neurotransmitters on the CL of [Ag(HIO₆)₂]^5? and luminol reaction. The HPLC separation of NE, EP, DA and 5‐HT was achieved with isocratic elution using a mixture of aqueous 0.2% phosphoric acid and methanol (5:95, v/v) within 11.0 min. Under the optimized conditions, the detection limits of NE, EP, DA, and 5‐HT were 4.8, 0.9, 1.9 and 2.3 ng/mL, respectively, corresponding to 17.6–96.0 pg for 20 μL sample injection. The recoveries of monoamine neurotransmitters in rat brain were >95.6% with the precisions expressed by RSD <5.0%. The validated HPLC‐CL method was successfully applied for the quantification of NE, EP, DA and 5‐HT in rat brain. This method has promising potential for some biological and clinical investigations focusing on the levels of monoamine neurotransmitters. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simultaneous determination of monoamine and amino acid neurotransmitters in rat endbrain tissues by pre-column derivatization with high-performance liquid chromatographic fluorescence detection and mass spectrometric identification

A sensitive and efficient method for simultaneous determination of glutamic acid (Glu), gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA), dopamine (DA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) in rat endbrains was developed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection and on-line mass spectrometric identification following derivatization with 1,2-benzo-3,4-dihydrocarbazole-9-ethyl chloroformate (BCEOC). Different parameters which influenced derivatization and separation were optimized. The complete separation of five neurotransmitter (NT) derivatives was performed on a reversed-phase Hypersil BDS-C(18) column with a gradient elution. The rapid structure identification of five neurotransmitter derivatives was carried out by on-line mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization (ESI) source in positive ion mode, and the BCEOC-labeled derivatives were characterized by easy-to-interpret mass spectra. Stability of derivatives, repeatability, precision and accuracy were evaluated and the results were excellent for efficient HPLC analysis. The quantitative linear range of five neurotransmitters were 2.441-2x10(4) nM, and limits of detection were in the range of 0.398-1.258 nM (S/N=3:1). The changes of their concentrations in endbrains of three rat groups were also studied using this HPLC fluorescence detection method. The results indicated that exhausting exercise could obviously influence the concentrations of neurotransmitters in rat endbrains. The established method exhibited excellent validity, high sensitivity and convenience, and provided a new technique for simultaneous analysis of monoamine and amino acid neurotransmitters in rat brain.     

Development,validation and comparison of surrogate matrix and surrogate analyte approaches with UHPLC–MS/MS to simultaneously quantify dopamine,serotonin and γ‐aminobutyric acid in four rat brain regions

As biomarkers, endogenous neurotransmitters play critical roles in the process of neuropsychiatric diseases, and neurotransmitter levels in different brain regions can contribute to neurological disease diagnosis and treatment. Due to the lack of a blank matrix for endogenous neurotransmitters, surrogate‐matrix and surrogate‐analyte approaches have been used for the determination of neurotransmitters to solve this problem. In this study, we capitalised on the high accuracy, precision, and throughput of UHPLC‐MS/MS and developed new methods based on the two approaches. Both approaches satisfied FDA and EMA validation criterias after an appropriate parallelism assessment, and they were used to further quantify the three endogenous neurotransmitters, including dopamine (DA), serotonin (5‐HT) and γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) in rat brain four regions (cortex, striatum, hypothalamus and hippocampus) which represent the catecholamines, indolamines, and amino acids, respectively. Comparison of the results in the same rats (n = 10) showed there was no significant difference in DA, 5‐HT, or GABA levels between the two approaches (P > 0.05). The concentrations of DA and GABA were highest in striatum and hypothalamus, respectively, and the levels of 5‐HT were paralleled in striatum and hippocampus almost 2‐fold higher than other regions. This is the first study to compare these two approaches in the determination of endogenous neurotransmitter content in the rat brain, and the surrogate‐matrix approach proved to be simple, rapid, and reliable, considering cost, matrix similarity, and practicality.     

Liquid chromatography with amperometric detection at a nano crystalline Ce-doped lead dioxide film modified electrode for determination of (R)-Salsolinol, (R)-N-methylsalsolinol and monoamine neurotransmitters in Parkinsonian patients' cerebrospinal fluid

The fabrication and application of a novel electrochemical detector (ED) with nano crystalline Ce-doped lead dioxide film chemically modified electrode (CME) for liquid chromatography (LC) were described. The Ce-doped PbO(2) film was characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and scanning tunnel microscope (STM). The electrochemical behaviors of (R)-Salsolinol ((R)-Sal) at the CME were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). It was found that the CME exhibited an efficiently electrocatalytic effect on the current responses of (R)-Sal, (R)-N-methylsalsolinol ((R)-NMSal) and monoamine neurotransmitters. In LC-ED, all (R)-Sal, (R)-NMSal, dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) and homovanillic acid (HVA) had good and stable current responses at the CME. The linear ranges of the nine analytes were over three orders of magnitude (R(2) > 0.995). The application of this method coupled with microdialysis sampling for the determination of (R)-Sal, (R)-NMSal and monoamine neurotransmitters in Parkinsonian patients' cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was satisfactory.     

Silica stationary phase-based on-line sample enrichment coupled with LC-MS/MS for the quantification of dopamine,serotonin and their metabolites in rat brain microdialysates

Accurate measurement of trace levels of endogenous compounds remains challenging despite advancements in analytical technologies. In particular, monoamine neurotransmitters such as dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) are polar compounds with low molecular weights, which complicates the optimization of retention and detection on liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Microdialysis is an important sampling technique to collect extracellular fluid from the brain of living animals. However, the very low basal concentrations of the neurotransmitters, small sample volume (maximum 30 μL) and the absence of matrix-matching calibrators are limitations of a microdialysate as an analytical sample. In the present study, an LC-MS/MS method was developed and fully validated for the quantification of DA, 5-HT and their main metabolites, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), in microdialysates from the rat nucleus accumbens shell. To improve the method sensitivity and accuracy, on-line sample enrichment using silica stationary phase was employed, before which any other sample pretreatment was not performed. The validation results proved the method to be selective, sensitive, accurate and precise, with acceptable linearity within calibration ranges. The lower limits of quantification were 0.025, 0.1, 0.5, 25 and 2.5 ng/mL for 5-HT, DA, 5-HIAA, HVA and DOPAC, respectively. This is a powerful analytical method to determine endogenous concentrations of those compounds in microdialysates from the rat nucleus accumbens and will be very useful to further study on the pathophysiological functions of monoamine neurotramsmitters in vivo.     

Derivatization chemistries for determination of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine in brain microdialysis samples by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection

The present paper provides an overview on currently developed derivatization chemistries and techniques for determination of monoamine neurotransmitters serotonin (5-HT), norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA) in microdialysis samples by microbore liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. In mild alkaline conditions, 5-hydroxyindoles and catecholamines react with benzylamine (BA), forming highly fluorescent 2-phenyl-4,5-pyrrolobenzoxazoles and 2-phenyl(4,5-dihydropyrrolo) [2,3-f]benzoxazoles, respectively. However, for derivatization of DA a higher fluorescence intensity was achieved for reaction with 1,2-diphenylethylenediamine (DPE) rather than with BA, therefore for simultaneous determination of 5-HT, NE and DA in brain microdialysates, a two-step derivatization with BA followed by DPE was developed. The detection limits for 5-HT, NE and DA were 0.2, 0.08 and 0.13 fmol, respectively, in an injection volume of 20 microL, which corresponds to concentrations of 30, 12 and 19.5 pm, respectively in standard solution prior to derivatization. The experimental data presented demonstrate the ability of the technique to simultaneously monitor neuronally releasable pools of monoamine neurotransmitters in the rat and mouse brains at basal conditions and following pharmacological treatments or physiological stimuli. These techniques play an important role in drug discovery and clinical investigation of psychiatric and neurological diseases such as depression, schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease.     

高效液相-电化学检测法研究针刺对家兔血浆及脑组织中单胺类神经递质的影响

 通过高效液相 电化学检测法测定了电针刺激家兔肾旁穴前后其血浆及脑组织中单胺类神经递质去甲肾上腺素 (NE)、肾上腺素 (E)、多巴胺 (DA)和 5 羟色胺 (5 HT)含量的变化 ;研究了神经递质的变化与家兔繁殖能力的关系。该实验采用ODS柱 ,流动相为V(0 0 2mol/L柠檬酸三钠 0 0 5mol/L磷酸氢二钠 )∶V(甲醇 ) =95∶5的溶液 ,用电化学检测器检测。实验证明 ,血浆及脑组织中NE ,E ,DA和 5 HT的含量在针刺肾旁穴前后都有了显著的变化 ,说明针刺能激发家兔脑内神经元的活动 ,导致相应的递质含量的变化 ,同时使得血浆中相应含量也发生变化。     

高效液相色谱同时检测生物样本中8种单胺类神经递质

建立一种快速、准确测定生物样品中左旋多巴(L-DOPA)、去甲肾上腺素(NE)、肾上腺素(E)、多巴柯(DOPAC)、多巴胺(DA)、5-羟吲哚乙酸(5-HIAA)、高香草酸(HVA)及5-羟色胺(5-HT)8种递质含量的高效液相色谱- 电化学检测方法.使8种物质在25 min于单一流动相、单流速、单通道检测器情况下达到良好的分离效果.采用ESA MD-150色谱柱 (150 mm×3.2 mm, 3 μm),流动相为50 mmol/L柠檬酸、50 mmol/L无水乙酸钠、0.5 mmol/L 1-庚烷磺酸钠、0.5 mmol/L乙二胺四乙酸二钠、5 mmol/L三乙胺,pH 3.5,在甲醇浓度为5%～10%,流速0.3～0.5 mL/min, 柱温为30 ℃时,都能使8种物质很好分离,其中在甲醇浓度8%,流速0.4 mL/min,检测到前5种物质线性范围为0.005～10 nmol/L; 后3种0.001～10 nmol/L,8种物质相关系数在0.994～0.999之间,检出限在pmol/L水平;回收率在80.3%～102.1%之间,相对偏差在1.4%～4.8%之间.且对样本处理和保存方法进行了探讨.     

Determination and Application of Nineteen Monoamines in the Gut Microbiota Targeting Phenylalanine,Tryptophan, and Glutamic Acid Metabolic Pathways

It has been reported that monoamine neurotransmitters can be produced by gut microbiota, and that several related metabolites of amino acids in these pathways are associated with nervous system (NVS) diseases. Herein, we focused on three pathways, namely, phenylalanine (Phe), tryptophan (Trp), and glutamic acid (Glu), and established an underivatized liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method for the quantification of nineteen monoamine neurotransmitters and related metabolites in the gut microbiota. The neurotransmitters and related metabolites included Phe, tyrosine (Tyr), l-dopa (Dopa), dopamine (DA), 3-methoxytyramine, Trp, hydroxytryptophan, 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA), kynurenine (KN), kynurenic acid (KYNA), melatonin, tryptamine (TA), indole-3-lactic acid (ILA), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), indolyl-3-propionic acid (IPA), Glu, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and acetylcholine (Ach). A fluoro-phenyl bonded column was used for separation, and the mobile phase consisted of methanol:acetonitrile (1:1) and water, with 0.2% formic acid in both phases. The compounds exhibited symmetric peak shapes and sufficient sensitivity under a total analysis time of 8.5 min. The method was fully validated with acceptable linearity, accuracy, precision, matrix effect, extraction recovery, and stability. The results showed that neurotransmitters, such as Dopa, DA, 5-HT, GABA, and Ach, were present in the gut microbiota. The metabolic pathway of Trp was disordered under depression, with lower levels of 5-HT, 5-HIAA, KN, KYNA, TA, ILA, IAA, IPA, and Glu, and a higher ratio of KYNA/KN. In addition, some first-line NVS drugs, such as sertraline, imipramine, and chlorpromazine, showed regulatory potential on these pathways in the gut microbiota.     

雄黄对大鼠脑组织中单胺类神经递质及其代谢产物的影响

将32只Wistar大鼠随机分为对照组(口服0.5%羧甲基纤维素钠溶液)以及低剂量(0.3g/kg)、中剂量(0.9g/kg)和高剂量(2.7g/kg)雄黄混悬液处理组,通过4周连续灌胃给服雄黄混悬液;采用高效液相色谱-电化学法测定了大鼠脑组织中单胺类神经递质及其代谢产物的含量,研究了雄黄对大鼠脑组织单胺类神经递质及其代谢产物的影响.结果表明,与对照组比较,雄黄染毒组大鼠脑组织中NE、DOPAC和DA含量均呈增加趋势,而5-HIAA呈降低趋势.雄黄可对大鼠脑组织单胺类神经递质及其代谢产物产生影响,单胺类神经能系统可能是雄黄毒性作用的靶点之一.     

微透析活体取样与高效液相色谱-电化学检测法联用测定帕金森大鼠脑中神经递质

建立了一种微透析活体取样与高效液相色谱-电化学检测法联用技术测定自由活动大鼠脑中7种单胺类神经递质的方法.高效液相色谱采用Aglient XDB-C18柱,流动相为pH 3.0的0.1 mol/L H3PO4-NaH2PO4缓冲液与甲醇的混合液(90:10,V/V),流速为0.3 mL/min,电化学检测的工作电极为玻...     

LC with Novel Electrochemical Detection for Analysis of Monoamine Neurotransmitters in Rat Brain After Administration of (R)-Salsolinol and (R)-N-Methylsalsolinol

A novel electrochemical detector with an acetylcholine film has been developed for HPLC. The chemically modified electrode is an efficient electrocatalyst of (R)-salsolinol ((R)-Sal), (R)-N-methylsalsolinol ((R)-NMSal), and monoamine neurotransmitters, enabling highly sensitive detection. The electrode is also stable and long-lived. Combined with microdialysis sampling, HPLC with the novel detector enabled successful study of changes in the concentrations of monoamine neurotransmitters in rat brain after the injection of (R)-salsolinol and (R)-N-methylsalsolinol.     

柱前衍生-高效液相色谱法同时测定血清中氨基酸类及单胺类神经递质

以邻苯二甲醛（o-phthalaldehyde，OPA）为衍生试剂，建立了柱前衍生-高效液相色谱（HPLC）同时测定血清中氨基酸类神经递质牛磺酸（Tau）、谷氨酸（Glu）、甘氨酸（Gly）、γ-氨基丁酸（γ-GABA）和单胺类神经递质多巴胺（DA）含量的分析方法。血清与乙醇以1：2的体积比混合，进行蛋白质沉淀后离心，取其上清液，氮吹至近干。前处理后的样品与OPA进行柱前衍生，衍生化产物采用Luna 5u C18色谱柱（250 mm×4.6 mm，5 μm）分离，以柠檬酸-乙酸钠缓冲溶液（pH 3.73）为流动相A、乙腈为流动相B进行梯度洗脱，流速为1.0 mL/min，柱温为30℃，检测波长为338 nm。5种神经递质在各自范围内线性关系良好（r²≥0.9866），检出限为0.10~0.40 μmol/L，不同加标水平下目标物的加标回收率为87.57%~115.31%，相对标准偏差均低于7.80%。方法操作简单，灵敏度高，精密度、线性关系和回收率等方法学指标较好，可实现血清中氨基酸类及单胺类神经递质的同时检测。     

高效液相色谱-脉冲安培检测法测定脑微透析溶液中单胺类神经递质

详细对比了脉冲安培与恒电位安培检测单胺类神经递质的响应值,结果表明冲安培检测上述物质的响应值是恒电位安培检测的1.2倍。建立了以3.4 -二羟基苄胺（DHBA）为内标的定量方法。在微透析溶液中的微量神经递质的回收率在74％－101％之间。     

A high performance liquid chromatography/electrochemical assay for glutamatergic neurotransmitters in the rat brain

The release and content of the excitatory amino acid neurotransmitters glutamate and aspartate in rat striatum were determined by liquid chromatography/electrochemistry. This determination was based on precolumn off-line derivatization of the amino acids with o-phthaldialdehyde and 2-mercaptoethanol (OPT/2-MCE), and the adducts formed were separated under isocratic conditions and oxidized on a glassy carbon electrode at moderate potential (+0.6 V). The standard and the extracted glutamate when derivatized with OPT/2-MCE produced similar electrochemical and chromatographic characteristics. The detection limit of glutamate was 0.5 pmol. Depolarization induced by the high potassium medium (40 mmol/L) enhanced the release of glutamate and aspartate from superfused rat striatum, whereas the efflux of glutamine remained unchanged. Perfusion (for 60-70 min) removed 50-80% of the free amino acid content of striatal tissue. The method described here is useful in neurochemical investigations of the brain amino acid neurotransmitters.     

A simple and sensitive high‐performance liquid chromatography–electrochemical detection assay for the quantitative determination of monoamines and respective metabolites in six discrete brain regions of mice

A rapid, sensitive, and reproducible assay is described for the quantitative determination of the monoamine neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin, their metabolites, and the internal standard 3,4‐dihydroxybenzlyamine hydro‐bromide in mouse brain homogenate using high‐performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. The method was validated in the following brain areas: frontal cortex, striatum, nucleus accumbens, hippocampus, substantia nigra pars compacta and ventral tegmental area. Biogenic amines and relevant metabolites were extracted from discrete brain regions using a simple protein precipitation procedure, and the chromatography was achieved using a C₁₈ column. The method was accurate over the linear range of 0.300–30 ng/mL (r = 0.999) for dopamine and 0.300–15 ng/mL (r = 0.999) for norepinephrine, 3,4‐dihydroxybenzlyamine hydro‐bromide, homovanillic acid and 5‐hydroxyindolacetic acid, with detection limits of ~0.125 ng/mL (5 pg on column) for each of these analytes. Accuracy and linearity for serotonin were observed throughout the concentration range of 0.625–30 ng/mL (r = 0.998) with an analytical detection limit of ~0.300 ng/mL (12 pg on column). Relative recoveries for all analytes were approximately ≥90% and the analytical run time was <10 min. The described method utilized minimal sample preparation procedures and was optimized to provide the sensitivity limits required for simultaneous monoamine and metabolite analysis in small, discrete brain tissue samples.     

Carbon nanotube-modified microelectrodes for simultaneous detection of dopamine and serotonin in vivo

Dopamine and serotonin are important neurotransmitters that interact in the brain. While dopamine is easily detected with electrochemical sensors, the detection of serotonin is more difficult because reactive species formed after oxidation can adsorb to the electrode, reducing sensitivity. Carbon nanotube treatments of electrodes have been used to increase the sensitivity, promote electron transfer, and reduce fouling. Most methods have focused on nanotube coatings of large electrodes and slower electrochemical techniques that are not conducive to measurements in vivo. In this study, we investigated carbon-fiber microelectrodes modified with single-walled carbon nanotubes for the co-detection of dopamine and serotonin in vivo. Using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, S/N ratios for the neurotransmitters increased after nanotube coating. Electrocatalytic effects of nanotubes were not apparent at fast scan rates but faster kinetics were observed with slower scanning. Nanotube-modified microelectrodes showed significantly less fouling after exposure to serotonin than bare electrodes. The nanotube-modified electrodes were used to monitor stimulated dopamine and serotonin changes simultaneously in the striatum of anesthetized rat after administration of a serotonin synthetic precursor. These studies show that nanotube-coated microelectrodes can be used with fast scanning techniques and are advantageous for in vivo measurements of neurotransmitters because of their greater sensitivity and resistance to fouling.     

Metabolism of tetrahydrobiopterin: Its relevance in monoaminergic neurons and neurological disorders

(6R)‐L‐erythro‐5,6,7,8‐tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is an essential cofactor for aromatic amino acid hydroxylases, such as phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), tryptophan hydroxylase, and nitric oxide synthase, which catalyze physiologically important reactions in mammals. The biosynthesis and metabolism of BH4 is usually studied mostly in the liver and only slightly in the brain, as the BH4 level in the liver is relatively high because BH4 is required for the reaction of PAH. We found that GTP (guanosine triphosphate) cyclohydrolase I, an enzyme for the biosynthesis of BH4, is a causative gene for DOPA (3,4‐dihydroxyphenylalanine)‐responsive dystonia (also called Segawa's disease), and that partial deficiency of BH4 leads to the dysfunction of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons without hyperphenylalaninemia. We analyzed BH4‐deficient mice that were produced by disruption of a BH4‐synthesizing gene by a gene‐knockout technique. We found that the protein amount of TH was highly dependent on the amount of BH4, especially in nerve terminals. Our research suggests that BH4 metabolism in the brain should be different from that in the liver, and that altered metabolism of BH4 should lead to neuropsychiatric disorders including Parkinson's disease. © 2008 The Japan Chemical Journal Forum and Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Chem Rec 8: 378–385; 2008: Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ) DOI 10.1002/tcr.20166