Effect of alcohols on mitochondrial monoamine oxidase activity

The effect of alcohol on mitochrondrial monoamine oxidase activity was studied by the use of rat liver mitochondria and highly purified preparations of the enzyme from rat and pig liver. The benzyl, β-phenylethyl, and octyl alcohols were found to inhibit the deamination of tyramine and 4-amino- and 4-methoxy-derivatives of β-phenylethylamine competitively and reversibly but to have practically no effect on the deamination of β-phenylethylamine and its 4-chloro-derivatives. The aliphatic alcohols exhibited inhibitory properties only if the length of the hydrocarbon chain was five methylene residues.