ABSTRACT
Julius Axelrod was a pharmacologist who discovered that certain neurotransmitters such as noradrenaline and serotonin are inactivated through the reuptake into presynaptic nerve terminals – a discovery paving the way for the development of modern antidepressant drugs. He developed a simple assay for measuring aniline in urine and plasma, and even took high doses of acetanilide itself so he could detect aniline in his own urine. He had discovered a family of microsomal enzymes responsible for many aspects of drug metabolism, which later became known as the cytochrome P450 group – now recognised as the most important enzymes in phase I metabolism in mammals. He realised that the release of melatonin followed a circadian pattern and that its rhythmicity persisted when the animals were placed in constant darkness, although abolished in constant light. Unlike many scientists, Axelrod's extraordinary discoveries had come from a small laboratory that normally only employed no more than three or four scientists.
