The Sound of Evolution
Levodopa
Mechanism of action:
Levodopa is a dopamine precursor. Dopamine itself cannot effectively cross the blood-brain barrier, whereas levodopa can enter the central nervous system via the large neutral amino acid transporter. Once inside the brain, levodopa is converted into dopamine by aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase, replenishing the dopamine deficiency caused by degeneration of the nigrostriatal pathway.
Reference(s):
1. Djamshidian A et al. (2016). Apomorphine and levodopa in Parkinson's disease: Two revolutionary drugs from the 1950's. Parkinsonism Relat Disord.
2. Meiser J et al. (2013). Complexity of dopamine metabolism. Cell Commun Signal.
3. Elroby SA et al. (2012). Toward the understanding of the metabolism of levodopa I. DFT investigation of the equilibrium geometries, acid-base properties and levodopa-water complexes. Int J Mol Sci.