Caffeine ingestion by rats increases noradrenaline turnover and results in self-biting.

The effects of caffeine on the activity of central and peripheral catecholaminergic structures have been studied in rats ingesting high doses of caffeine. The activities of the enzymes tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase were measured as well as 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylamine (dopamine), adrenaline, and noradrenaline concentrations, in brain (striatum and hypothalamus), heart, and adrenal gland. At the peripheral level, we observed a significant increase in the dopamine and adrenaline plus noradrenaline content in the heart, but an increase in dopamine content only was found in the adrenal gland. Dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity in serum was increased, but the only significant enzymic change in brain was an increase in the dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity of the hypothalamus. However, an increase in catecholamine content was observed in both structures of the brain. These data suggest that the mechanisms involved in caffeine-induced self-biting in rats are not limited to the dopaminergic system, because we have also observed an increase in noradrenaline turnover.