Salsoline is a metabolite of dopamine and is highly prevalent in the urine and cerebrospinal fluid of alcoholics at the time of intoxication and for several days after. Salsoline and related compounds bind to the Type A Mono-amine Oxidase inducing neuronal cell death. At one time salsoline was thought to be a biomarker for Parkinson's disease. However, it was later shown that treatment regimes result in an increased endogenous concentration of salsoline and related compounds.

5-Methylthioadenosine (MTA) is a naturally occurring sulfur-containing nucleoside present in all mammalian tissues. The major source of MTA in cells is formed from S-adenosylmethionine during the synthesis of the polyamines spermine and spermidine. In most cells MTA does not accumulate is significant amounts and is rapidly metabolized by 5-methythioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) to yield adenine (Ade) and 5-methylthioribose-1-phosphate (MTR1P). The removal of accumulating MTA by MTAP is necessary for the cell to carry out polyamine metabolism, since MTA is a strong inhibitor of spermine synthase. Intracellular fluctuations in MTA levels could participate in the regulation of the liver proliferative response, and administration of MTA have hepatorptective effect in a model of CCl4-induced chronic liver damage.