ABSTRACT
Diamine oxidase (DAO) catalyzes the oxidative deamination of the potent pharmacological agent histamine and of polyamines such as putrescine, cadaverine, and, to a lesser extent, spermidine and spermine. A probabilistic model is used to investigate the pathophysiological functions of DAO in animal studies. Most of the studies on a pathological role of DAO with respect to histamine and putrescine have been conducted in animals. Diamine oxidase activity is low in the normal oxyntic mucosa and only appears to have a minor function in healthy stomachs. The products of the catalytic action of DAO on histamine and putrescine are imidazole acetaldehyde and γ-aminobutyric aldehyde, respectively. In the field of DAO and its substrates it seems useful first to recognize any kind of causal relationship and then to start analyzing the complex in vivo-conditions with a more specialized design of an experimental study.
