title: L-dopa therapy for Parkinson's disease: past, present, and future.
abstract: Dopamine (DA) supplementation therapy by l-dopa for Parkinson's disease (PD) was established around 1970. The dose of l-dopa can be reduced by the combined administration of inhibitors of peripheral l-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC), catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT), or monoamine oxidase B (MAO B). DA in the striatum may be produced from exogenously administered l-dopa by various AADC-containing cells, such as serotonin neurons. The long-term administration of l-dopa in PD patients may produce l-dopa-induced dyskinesia (LID), which may be due to chronic overstimulation of supersensitive DA D1 receptors. l-dopa may be used in combination with various new strategies such as gene therapy or transplantation in the future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Fujita Health University, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192, Japan. tnagatsu@fujita-hu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Toshiharu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagatsua
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sawadab
mesh_terms: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000266:history / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D007980:Levodopa / Q000266:history / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents; D007980:Levodopa