Condensation products derived from reactions between biogenic amines and aldehydes have elicited considerable interest in terms of alcohol use and abuse mechanisms. Both the tryptolines, the condensation products derived from catecholamines, and tetrahydroisoquinolines, the condensation products derived from indoleamines, have been claimed by various investigators to alter alcohol preferences. In addition, some of these compounds have pharmacological effects which include competition for the benzodiazepine receptor and effects on neurotransmitter reuptake mechanisms. Our goal is to determine whether any of these compounds are normally present in mammalian tissues and whether their presence is altered by alcohol administration. Toward this end we have been developing procedures for analyzing amine-aldehyde condensation products using rapid sample clean-up followed by chemical ionization negative ion mass spectrometry with fused silica capillary columns. The procedures which we have developed are highly specific and are able to detect low concentrations of the substances. Furthermore, these procedures eliminate many sources of artifact which plague the work of other investigators who have claimed that the tryptolines and tetrahydroisoquinolines are either normally present or are formed after alcohol administration. The goal of this work is of direct relevance to alcohol related problems because it attempts to provide a reliable answer to the question as to whether these compounds are normally present in tissues, or whether they are formed after alcohol administration.
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