Milacemide (2-n-pentylaminoacetamide) is a glycine prodrug which readily crosses the blood brain barrier and increases brain glycine and glycineamide. In vitro and in vivo studies, with numerous tissues, including adrenal chromaffin cells, have clearly shown that the formation of the latter metabolites is exclusively mediated by monoamine oxidase B for which milacemide is a substrate. 2. Milacemide, glycineamide and glycine caused a time- and dose-dependent release of catecholamines from bovine isolated chromaffin cells. 3. Milacemide (10(-4) M) induced catecholamine release was roughly 30% of that initiated by acetylcholine (10(-4) M), the natural secretagogue. 4. The combined effects of milacemide (10(-4) M) and acetycholine (10(-4) M) on catecholamine secretion from chromaffin cells is additive, suggesting that milacemide does not act through the normal nicotinic receptor release mechanism. 5. The release of catecholamines from chromaffin cells in response to milacemide (10(-4) M) was partially inhibited by the selective MAO-B inhibitors (-)-deprenyl (10(-7) M) and AGN 1135 (10(-6) M). This indicates that the MAO-B derived metabolites, glycineamide and glycine, contribute to the secretion of catecholamines as does milacemide itself. 6. It is apparent that release of catecholamines by glycine is mediated by its uptake into the cells since [3H]-glycine uptake and catecholamine release showed a highly significant correlation (r = 0.96).
