In 1937, Blaschko, Richter and Schlossman demonstrated that tyramine oxidase, the enzyme discovered by Hare in 1928, noradrenaline oxidase and aliphatic amine oxidase was the same enzyme. They referred to the enzyme as “amine oxidase”. In the same year, 1937, as Blaschko and his associates demonstrated the presence of “amine oxidase” in the liver, Pugh and Quastel demonstrated the presence of the same enzyme in the brain. One year later, in 1938, after Zeller’s separation of diamine oxidase from “amine oxidase”, the term was replaced by the term “monoamine oxidase” to indicate that its function is restricted to the oxidative deamination of monoamines.   

Blaschko H, Richter D, Schlossman H. The inactivation of adrenaline. J Physiol 1937; 90: 1-17.

Blaschko H, Richter D, Schlossmann H. The oxidation of adrenaline and other amines. Biochemical Journal 1937; 31: 2187-96.

Hare MLC. Tyramine oxidase I. A new enzyme system in the liver.  Biochemical Journal 1928; 22:968-79.

Pugh C, Quastel JH. Oxidation of aliphatic amines in brain and other tissues. Biochemcal Journal 1937; 31: 286-91.

Zeller EA. Über den enzymatischen Abbau von Histamin und Diaminen. Helvetica Chimica Acta 1938; 21:881-90.

Joseph Knoll

June 26, 2014