A decarboxylation product of l-tryptophan that occurs in plants and certain foods ( e.g., cheese). It raises the blood pressure through vasoconstrictor action, by the release of norepinephrine at postganglionic sympathetic nerve endings, and is believed to be one of the agents responsible for hypertensive episodes following therapy with monoamine oxidase inhibitors ( e.g., pargyline hydrochloride).
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trypt·amine 'trip-tə-.mēn n a crystalline amine C10H12N2 derived from tryptophan also any of various substituted derivatives of this amine of which some are significantly hallucinogenic or neurotoxic
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tryp·ta·mine (tripґtə-mēn) a product of the decarboxylation of tryptophan, occurring in plants and certain foods such as cheese; it raises blood pressure via vasoconstriction by causing the release of norepinephrine at postganglionic nerve endings. It is also a precursor of many natural and synthetic compounds, including psychoactive ones such as diethyltryptamine and dimethyltryptamine.Medical dictionary. 2011.