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DOPA decarboxylase is an enzyme that converts L-DOPA into dopamine, used to treat Parkinson’s disease. However, it is found throughout the body, so a DOPA decarboxylase inhibitor is given alongside L-DOPA to prevent conversion outside the brain. Parkinson’s disease is caused by a dopamine deficiency due to cell loss in the substantia nigra, leading to movement problems. L-DOPA is used to increase dopamine levels, but DOPA decarboxylase inhibitors are needed to reduce side effects.
DOPA decarboxylase is a type of enzyme, a protein that helps make a chemical reaction happen. It is found in the body, where it enables the conversion of a substance called levodopa, or L-DOPA, into dopamine. L-DOPA is used as a treatment for people with Parkinson’s disease, who have a lack of dopamine in the brain. Since DOPA decarboxylase is found throughout the body, there is a concern that L-DOPA given to Parkinson’s patients could be converted to dopamine before it reaches the brain. To prevent this, what is called a DOPA decarboxylase inhibitor, a substance that prevents DOPA decarboxylase from functioning outside the brain, is usually given alongside L-DOPA.
Parkinson’s disease is a disorder of the brain in which cells die in an area called the substantia nigra, which is responsible for controlling movement. These cells normally produce dopamine which they use to send nerve signals to the muscles to generate movement. In Parkinson’s disease, the progressive loss of cells and an increasing dopamine deficiency eventually cause problems such as tremors or tremors, muscle stiffness, and slow movement. Most often, a tremor appears in one or both hands and is worse at rest. Walking turns into a drag, the person may occasionally freeze completely, and coordination becomes poor, resulting in falls.
The standard treatment for Parkinson’s disease involves increasing the amount of dopamine available to the remaining cells in the substantia nigra. Dopamine itself cannot be taken, because it is not very well absorbed from the intestines and does not enter the brain effectively, the place where it is needed. L-DOPA is a better alternative because it can penetrate the brain and is also well absorbed from the intestines. Inside the brain, L-DOPA is converted by the enzyme DOPA decarboxylase to dopamine, but unfortunately DOPA decarboxylase elsewhere in the body also converts L-DOPA. This means that much higher doses of L-DOPA are needed to ensure that enough reaches the brain, and the buildup of dopamine in tissues outside the brain causes side effects, such as an irregular heartbeat and nausea.
DOPA decarboxylase inhibitors, such as carbidopa, are drugs that do not enter the brain but prevent L-DOPA from being broken down in the rest of the body. This means that a much lower dose of L-DOPA is required to reach the required concentration in the brain and the side effects caused by the production of dopamine outside the brain are reduced. For the treatment of Parkinson’s, L-DOPA is always given in combination with a DOPA decarboxylase inhibitor. Although drug treatment cannot prevent the progression of Parkinson’s disease, it can increase longevity and may help control symptoms over a number of years.
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