Professor who first identified the neurotransmitter serotonin
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| Dr Vittorio Erspamer |
Vittorio Erspamer, the pharmacologist and chemist who first identified
the neurotransmitter serotonin, was born on this day in 1909 in in the small
village of Val di Non in Malosco, a municipality of Trentino.
Serotonin, also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), is
found in the gastrointestinal tract, blood platelets and central nervous system
of animals, including humans.
It is popularly thought to be a contributor to feelings of
well-being and happiness. A generation of anti-depressant drugs, including
Prozac, Seroxat, Zoloft and Celexa, have been developed with the aim of interfering
with the action of serotonin in the body in a way that boosts such feelings.
The name serotonin was coined in the United States in 1948 after
research doctors at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio discovered a vasoconstrictor
substance - one that narrows blood vessels - in blood serum. Since it was a serum agent affecting vascular tone,
they named it serotonin.
However, in 1952 it was shown that a substance identified by
Dr Erspamer in 1935, which he named enteramine, was the same as serotonin.
Dr Erspamer made his discovery when he was working as
assistant professor in anatomy and physiology at the University of Pavia,
having graduated there in medicine and surgery in 1935.
His speciality was pharmacognosy - the study of drugs from
natural sources. In particular, he was interested in the extraction of
pharmacologically active substances from animals, which was the focus of much
of his life’s work.
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| An illustration of how scientists believe the dopamine and serotonin neurotransmitters affect brain function |
Dr Erspamer’s early research in the Institute of Comparative
Anatomy and Physiology at Pavia focussed on the smooth muscle constricting or
contracting properties of various compounds – known as amine - found in the
skins and intestinal tracts of a number of species, including rabbits,
mollusks, and frogs.
One substance which interested him was found in certain cells
of the gut. An acetone isolate of the cells caused smooth muscle contraction,
especially in the uterus of the female rat.
He carried out tests to prove that the substance was not
another neurotransmitter, epinephrine - also known as adrenaline – and named
the new substance enteramine.
During his career, Dr Erspamer held positions at the
universities of Rome, Bari and Parma and also studied in Berlin.
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| The Ghislieri College at the University of Pavia, where Vittorio Erspamer graduated and worked for several years |
He was one of the first Italian pharmacologists to realize
that strong relationships with the chemical and pharmaceutical industries could
yield vital funds for research.
In the late 1950s, he established a long-term collaboration
with chemists at the Farmitalia company, thanks to whose funding he collected
more than 500 species of marine organisms from all around the world,
including amphibians, shellfish, sea anemones and other species.
During more than 60 years he was able to conclude the isolation,
identification, synthesis and pharmacological study of more than 60 new
chemical compounds, most of which were isolated from animals, predominantly
amphibians.
His other major discovery was octopamine, a substance
similar in function to epinephrine in that it mobilises the body and the
nervous system for action. He found this in the salivary glands of the octopus.
Twice nominated for a Nobel Prize, he was obliged to retire from
official academic positions in 1984 on the grounds of age but continued to work
at the Sapienza University of Rome, alongside his wife Giuliana Falconieri, a
long-time colleague he married in the early 1960s, up until the time of his
death in 1999 at the age of 90.
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| Malosco Castle, restored in the 16th century |
Travel tip:
Vittorio Erspamer’s birthplace, Malosco, is a small village
in the upper Val di Non valley situated on a high plateau about 54km (34 miles)
north of Trento in an area of forests and meadows. The discovery of coins in
the vicinity points to Roman origins. More recently, it belonged to the family of
count Gerolamo Guarienti, who rebuilt Malosco Castle in the 16th century. Today
it is a popular centre for cross-country skiing and there is a network of
trails for walkers to enjoy.
Travel tip:
Although not established until 1361 – almost 300 years after
the University of Bologna, which is recognised as the oldest in Europe – the University
of Pavia can claim to have its roots in an educational institution in the
Lombardy city of which the first known mention was in 825, in an edict
issued by the Frankish king of Italy, Lothar I. That would make it older even
than Al Quaraouyine University, in Morocco, which was founded in 859 and is
officially the oldest continually operating educational institution in the
world.