The controversy concerning plasma homocysteine in Parkinson disease patients treated with levodopa alone or with entacapone: effects of vitamin status.

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Zesiewicz TA, Wecker L, Sullivan KL, Merlin LR, Hauser RA

The controversy concerning plasma homocysteine in Parkinson disease patients treated with levodopa alone or with entacapone: effects of vitamin status.

Clin Neuropharmacol. 2006 May-Jun;29(3):106-11.

PubMed ID

16772808 [ View in PubMed

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Abstract

Levodopa treatment of Parkinson disease results in hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) as a consequence of levodopa methylation by catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT). Although inhibition of COMT should theoretically prevent or reduce levodopa-induced HHcy, results from several prospective studies are conflicting. Our review of these studies suggests that the ability of COMT inhibition to reduce or prevent levodopa-induced HHcy in Parkinson disease patients may be attributed to differences in the vitamin status of the study participants. In patients with low or low-normal folate levels, levodopa administration is associated with a greater increase in homocysteine and concomitant entacapone administration is associated with a greater reduction in homocysteine.

DrugBank Data that Cites this Article

Pharmaco-metabolomics

Drug	Drug Groups	Metabolite	Change	Description
Levodopa	Approved	Homocysteine	increased	Levodopa increases the level of Homocysteine in the blood