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Levodopa availability improves with progression of Parkinson’s disease

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Abstract

Background

Previous pharmacokinetic trials with standard levodopa formulations showed a different behaviour of levodopa degradation in plasma of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in various stages.

Objectives

To investigate associations between levodopa plasma levels in relation to the scored intensity of PD.

Subjects and Methods

We administered water soluble 100 mg levodopa and 25 mg benserazide to 50 PD patients, taken off medication for at least 12 hours, and assessed the levodopa plasma concentrations during an 180 minutes period under standardised conditions.

Results

The computed area under the curve (AUC) values of levodopa plasma levels were significant higher in advanced PD patients. PD rating scores significantly correlated to the AUC outcomes and the maximum levodopa plasma concentration.

Conclusions

Levodopa availability improves with progression of PD. This may result from deteriorated peripheral activity of levodopa metabolising enzymes or an increasing enteric dysfunction with subsequent better duodenal levodopa absorption or both.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, St. Josef Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Gudrunstr. 56, 44791, Bochum, Germany

    Dirk Woitalla, Oliver Goetze, Jeong I. Kim, Alice B. Nikodem, Horst Przuntek & Thomas Müller

  2. Department of Medicine I, St. Josef Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, Gudrunstr. 56, D-44791, Bochum, Germany

    Oliver Goetze & Wolfgang E. Schmidt

  3. Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Zurich, CH-8091, Zürich, Switzerland

    Oliver Goetze

Authors
  1. Dirk Woitalla
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  2. Oliver Goetze
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  3. Jeong I. Kim
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  4. Alice B. Nikodem
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  5. Wolfgang E. Schmidt
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  6. Horst Przuntek
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  7. Thomas Müller
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thomas Müller.

Additional information

Received in revised form: 12 February 2005

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Woitalla, D., Goetze, O., Kim, J.I. et al. Levodopa availability improves with progression of Parkinson’s disease. J Neurol 253, 1221–1226 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-006-0207-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-006-0207-y

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