Influence of skin illumination on plasma biogenic amines in the rabbit

The effects of skin illumination on plasma catecholamines were tested in the rabbit. The values observed for epinephrine, nor-epinephrine and dopamine, dosed by the radioenzymatic technique, were in accordance with those generally published. However, variability is important. Discontinuous skin illumination significantly increased (P less than or equal to 0.05) only the level of dopamine in plasma. No evident demonstration can explain this elevation, but the role of the important interrelations between L-dopa, involved in melanogenic activity, and dopamine is discussed as the first step in the understanding of such a phenomenon.