Elevated striatal dopamine levels following administration of D-DOPA and its alpha-keto acid metabolite DHPPA: behavioral and physiological studies in vivo in the rat.

The D stereoisomer of dihydroxyphenylalanine (D-DOPA) and its alpha-keto acid metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylpyruvic acid (DHPPA) when infused into the striatum, significantly increased in vivo extracellular dopamine levels. Following D-DOPA administration, the cumulative increase in dopamine levels was 30% of the increase following L-DOPA: following DHPPA it was 11% that of L-DOPA. Rats with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine-induced lesions of the substantia nigra demonstrated brisk contralateral turning following each compound. The turning, however, was delayed by 10-20 min and total turning was 40% less following D-DOPA and 57% less following DHPPA than it was following L-DOPA. These data indicate that exogenously administered D-DOPA can be metabolized in vivo within the brain to dopamine and suggest this may occur via a transamination pathway in which DHPPA is an intermediary metabolite. The possible relevance of these findings to the treatment of Parkinson's disease is discussed.