title: Electroenzymatic synthesis of l-DOPA.
abstract: Parkinson's disease is caused by a deficiency of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Since l-DOPA (l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) is a precursor of dopamine and can pass across the blood-brain barrier, it has been used as a treatment for Parkinson's disease. Hundreds tons of l-DOPA are produced per year, and most of the current supply is produced by a chemical method of asymmetric synthesis. However, the chemical process for l-DOPA synthesis requires an expensive metal catalyst and shows low conversion rates and low enantioselectivity. In this study, we developed a novel technology for the production of l-DOPA, an electroenzymatic synthesis with a tyrosinase-immobilized cathode under the reduction potential of DOPAquinone, which is -530 mV. Compared to other approaches for l-DOPA synthesis reported previously, this electroenzymatic system showed the highest conversion rate and a highly enhanced productivity of up to 95.9% and 47.27 mg l(-1)h(-1), respectively.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-741, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kyoungseon
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Min
authors.forename: Don-Hee
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Young Je
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Yoo
mesh_terms: D019149:Bioreactors; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D004566:Electrodes; D004800:Enzymes, Immobilized / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D007980:Levodopa / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D016014:Linear Models; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D010300:Parkinson Disease; D014443:Tyrosine / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004800:Enzymes, Immobilized; D014443:Tyrosine; D007980:Levodopa; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase