Evaluation of the uptake of various amines into storage vesicles of intact human platelets

1 The uptake of various 3H-labelled amines into a thrombin-releasable compartment of human platelets, thought to represent the platelet vesicular storage pool, has been evaluated. Measurable amounts of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), dopamine, tyramine, octopamine, and tryptamine accumulate in this pool, and also in a non-thrombin-releasable (cytoplasmic) pool during a 30 min incubation period with 10(-5) M extracellular amine concentrations. 2 No differences in the accumulation of vesicular or cytoplasmic 5-HT, dopamine, and tyramine are found in platelets treated with deprenyl to inhibit platelet monoamine oxidase as compared to controls. 3 Extracellular tyramine or dopamine in concentrations as high as 10(-5) M does not alter the initial rate of 5-HT uptake across the platelet plasma membrane. Similarly, sizable cytoplasmic pools of either amine do not alter the initial rate at which small amounts of 5-HT enter platelet cytoplasm or storage vesicles. 5-HT thus appears to be the preferred substrate for uptake into platelets and for movement from cytoplasm to vesicles.