Carbidopa

Assessment | Biopsychology | Comparative | Cognitive | Developmental | Language | Individual differences | Personality | Philosophy | Social |
Methods | Statistics | Clinical | Educational | Industrial | Professional items | World psychology |

Biological: Behavioural genetics · Evolutionary psychology · Neuroanatomy · Neurochemistry · Neuroendocrinology · Neuroscience · Psychoneuroimmunology · Physiological Psychology · Psychopharmacology (Index, Outline)

---

Carbidopa chemical structure Carbidopa
(2S)-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-hydrazinyl-2-methyl- propanoic acid IUPAC name
CAS number 38821-49-7	ATC code [[ATC_code_|]][1]
PubChem 34359	DrugBank APRD00160
Chemical formula	{{{chemical_formula}}}
Molecular weight	226.229 g/mol
Bioavailability
Metabolism	decarboxylated to dopamine in extracerebral tissues
Elimination half-life	1-2 hours
Excretion
Pregnancy category
Legal status
Routes of administration

Carbidopa (MK-486) is a drug given to people with Parkinson's disease in order to inhibit peripheral metabolism of levodopa.

Carbidopa inhibits aromatic-L-amino-acid decarboxylase (DOPA Decarboxylase or DDC), an enzyme important in the biosynthesis of L-tryptophan to serotonin and in the biosynthesis of L-DOPA to Dopamine (DA). Along with carbidopa, other DDC inhibitors are benserazide (Ro-4-4602), difluromethyldopa, and α-methyldopa.

Used in tandem with L-DOPA (trade name levodopa, a dopamine precursor converted in the body to dopamine), it increases the plasma half-life of levodopa from 50 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. CarbiDOPA cannot cross the blood brain barrier, so it inhibits only peripheral DDC. It thus prevents the conversion of L-DOPA to dopamine peripherally. This reduces the side effects caused by dopamine on the periphery, as well as increasing the concentration of L-DOPA and dopamine in the brain.

The combination of L-DOPA and carbiDOPA carries the brand names of Sinemet®, Parcopa® and Atamet®.

External links

• Sinemet® datasheet

de:Carbidopa