Levodopa-related cysteinyl-glycine and cysteine reduction with and without catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibition in Parkinson's disease patients

Oxidative stress is influenced by the thiol homeostasis, which regulates the redox milieu via glutathione. Components of glutathione metabolism are cysteine and cysteinyl-glycine. Both substrates decay following levodopa application or dopamine-related oxidative stress. Objective was to investigate the impact of an acute levodopa application with and without catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitor on cysteine- and cysteinyl-glycine plasma levels. On two investigation days, 13 patients with Parkinson's disease took one retarded release 200-mg levodopa/50 mg carbidopa-containing tablet or one 150-mg levodopa/50-mg carbidopa/200-mg entacapone formulation under standardized conditions. Levodopa, 3-O-methyldopa, cysteine and cysteinyl-glycine were measured at baseline, 80 and 140 min following levodopa administration. Cysteine and cysteinyl-glycine similarly decreased, levodopa was nearly equal during both conditions. Entacapone lowered 3-O-methyldopa. Cysteine decay may be due to an elevated glutathione generation, which consumes cysteine. Cysteinyl-glycine decrease results from the alternative glutathione transformation to its oxidized form glutathione dissulfide after free radical scavenging.