R- and S-salsolinol are not increased in cerebrospinal fluid of Parkinsonian patients.
Various investigators address an augmented synthesis of tetrahydroisoquinolines, such as salsolinol (SAL), or an increased N-methylation of these compounds as putative pathophysiologic mechanisms in Parkinson's disease (PD). Objectives of this study were (1) the evaluation of a putative elevation of enantiomers (R-, S-) of SAL and (2) the investigation of relations between these metabolic precursors of neurotoxic N-methylated-SAL (NMSAL) and dopamine in cerebrospinal fluid of untreated de-novo Parkinsonian patients and age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Levels of R- and S-SAL and dopamine did not significantly (R-SAL: P = 0.75, S-SAL: P = 0.69, dopamine: P = 0.46) differ and dopamine did not correlate to R-SAL and S-SAL in both groups. We conclude, that central accumulation of R-NMSAL, which is neurotoxic to dopaminergic nigrostriatal neurons, is not due to elevated synthesis of R-SAL and/or S-SAL in PD.
Müller
T
T
Department of Neurology, St. Josef-Hospital, Ruhr-University of Bochum, Germany. thomas.mueller@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
Sällström Baum
S
S
Häussermann
P
P
Przuntek
H
H
Rommelspacher
H
H
Kuhn
W
W
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007546:Isoquinolines / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D012016:Reference Values; D013237:Stereoisomerism
D007546:Isoquinolines; C036617:salsolinol