Dopamine in the immune system: Dopamine receptors in immune cells, potent effects, endogenous production and involvement in immune and neuropsychiatric diseases

Dopamine is undoubtedly produced in many, if not all, types of immune cells, and under certain conditions can be released to the extracellular milieu by these cells, resulting in autocrine and paracrine effects. The multiple evidences supporting these conclusions were discovered and published by several groups (Bergquist et al. 1994, 1997; Josefsson et al. 1996; Musso et al. 1996; Musso et al. 1997; Bergquist and Silberring 1998; Tsao et al. 1998; Ferrari et al. 2004; Cosentino et al. 2007; Flierl et al. 2007, 2009; Nakano et al. 2009a). The key reports on these studies are cited below in a chronological order. Among these publications, the sixth paper cited below (Bergquist et al. 1998) is the most relevant and comprehensive study done so far on this topic, and contains a very informative data, reconstituted herein in Table 1.1.