Concerning the decarboxylation of 3-carboxysalsolinol

3-Carboxysalsolinol (14C-COOH) was prepared from DOPA (1-14C). Both in vitro and in vivo studies were conducted to examine the possibility that this amino-acid tetrahydroisoquinoline is converted to salsolinol in a parallel manner to the formation of dopamine from its amino-acid precursor. The results showed that this is not so for DOPA is decarboxylated far more readily than is 3-carboxysalsolinol. Small quantities of carbon dioxide (14C) are liberated from 3-carboxysalsolinol (14C-COOH), but this may reflect non-enzymatic decarboxylation.