Interaction at the synaptic level of fusaric acid with neurotransmitters

Fusaric acid (FA) is shown to induce inhibition of noradrenaline and dopamine uptake in synaptosomes from rat hypothalamus and corpus striatum. The basal overflow of noradrenaline and dopamine from "brain stem" and corpus striatum slices is stimulated by FA. While this influence of FA on noradrenaline release is further enhanced by other stimuli (raised K+ concentration or electrical stimulation), no comparable effect can be observed concerning dopamine release. The data show that FA which is known as a potent dopamine-beta-hydroxylase inhibitor of high specificity exerts also marked effect in the central nervous system by interference with other synaptosomal functions.