Activity of platelet monoamine oxidase in apparently health subjects

Monoamine oxidase activity was assayed in platelets from 32 apparently healthy subjects using phenethylamine as substrate and two concentrations of oxygen (0.06 and 0.12 mM). Apparent Km (microM) and Vmax (nmol/mg protein/5 min) values were estimated from double reciprocal plots. The means of the Km and Vmax values were both increased by a factor of about 1.6 when the oxygen concentration was elevated from 0.06 mM (Km = 2.96 and Vmax = 4.47) to 0.12 mM (Km = 4.82 and Vmax = 7.18). The frequency distribution of the Vmax values was not clearly unimodal, especially at the higher oxygen concentration. The Vmax values of the women were significantly higher than those of the men but no sex difference was obtained for the Km values. The overall velocity (v) at 10 microM phenethylamine was highly correlated to the Vmax values both at low and high oxygen concentrations (r = 0.99 and 0.98, respectively).