Platelet monoamine oxidase B activity in "de novo" and l-dopa treated parkinsonian patients and controls.
OBJECTIVE
Previous studies demonstrated controversial results regarding monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) activity in platelets in the periphery in parkinsonian patients (PD).


METHODS
Therefore we determined platelet MAO-B activity in three age- and sex-matched groups of 17 untreated, so called "de novo" patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), 17 parkinsonian patients, receiving levodopa, and 17 controls by a radio enzymatic assay.


RESULTS
No significant differences of MAO-B activity appeared.


CONCLUSIONS
This result suggests that phenotypic determination of MAO-B activity in platelets may not be used as peripheral marker in PD and that levodopa treatment does not alter MAO-B activity in the periphery.
Department of Neurology, Ruhr-University of Bochum, St.-Josef Hospital, Germany.
W
W
Kuhn
T
T
Müller
A
A
Gerstner
R
R
Winkel
M E
ME
Goetz
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000201:enzymology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007980:Levodopa / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase / Q000097:blood*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010641:Phenotype
D000978:Antiparkinson Agents; D007980:Levodopa; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase