2. Academic Validation
  3. Brain Histamine N-Methyltransferase As a Possible Target of Treatment for Methamphetamine Overdose

Brain Histamine N-Methyltransferase As a Possible Target of Treatment for Methamphetamine Overdose

  • Drug Target Insights. 2016 Mar 2;10:1-7. doi: 10.4137/DTI.S38342.
Junichi Kitanaka 1,  Nobue Kitanaka 1,  F Scott Hall 2,  George R Uhl 3,  Motohiko Takemura 1
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Pharmacology, Hyogo College of Medicine, Hyogo, Japan.
  • 2 Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, USA.
  • 3 New Mexico VA Healthcare System/BRINM, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
PMID: 26966348 DOI: 10.4137/DTI.S38342
Abstract

Stereotypical behaviors induced by methamphetamine (METH) overdose are one of the overt symptoms of METH abuse, which can be easily assessed in animal models. Currently, there is no successful treatment for METH overdose. There is increasing evidence that elevated levels of brain histamine can attenuate METH-induced behavioral abnormalities, which might therefore constitute a novel therapeutic treatment for METH abuse and METH overdose. In mammals, histamine N-methyltransferase (HMT) is the sole Enzyme responsible for degrading histamine in the brain. Metoprine, one of the most potent HMT inhibitors, can cross the blood-brain barrier and increase brain histamine levels by inhibiting HMT. Consequently, this compound can be a candidate for a prototype of drugs for the treatment of METH overdose.

Keywords

Stereotyped behavior; brain histaminergic system; histamine N-methyltransferase; methamphetamine; metoprine; overdose.

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