In rat brain slices preincubated with various radiolabelled putative neurotransmitters, methionine-enkephalin diminished the potassium-evoked release of dopamine and acetylcholine. The effect was antagonised by naloxone. The potassium-induced effux of three other neurotransmitters, histamine, 5-hydroxy-tryptamine and gamma-aminobutyric acid, were unaffected by methionine-enkephalin. A probable physiological function for the endogenous ligands in specifically affecting the catecholaminergic and cholinergic transmission is suggested.
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