Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 22, 2026

Rating L-DOPA-Induced Dyskinesias in the Unilaterally 6-OHDA-Lesioned Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease
Published on: October 4, 2021
Levodopa and neuropathy risk in patients with Parkinson disease: Effect of COMT inhibition
Giovanni Cossu1, Roberto Ceravolo2, Maurizio Zibetti3
1Neurology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera Brotzu Cagliari, P.le Ricchi 1, 009134, Cagliari Italy.
Objective:
Our purpose was to determine whether the use of catechol-O-methyltransferase-inhibitors (ICOMT) can reduce the risk of developing levodopa (LD)-induced neuropathy in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients.
Methods:
A multicentre study of 197 PD patients was performed. 144 were exposed to LD for more than three years (LELD group); 53 simultaneously assumed Entacapone for at least eighteen months (LELD_ICOMT group).
Results:
The prevalence of neuropathy in LELD patients was 19.4% whereas it was 5.7% in LELD_ICOMT group with a significant difference (p = 0.025). In LELD_ICOMT cohort the daily LD dose and serum VB12 levels were significantly higher (p < 0.0001), the serum Hcy levels were significantly lower (p = 0.001) compared to LELD group.
Conclusion:
Our results suggest that ICOMT could have a protective effect on the development of LD-induced neuropathy. Their action probably occurs through the metabolic rebalancing of the one-carbon-pathway cycle and is independent of the PD duration and severity and the duration of LD intake.
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