Dopamine: Mediator of Brain Polysome Disaggregation after L-Dopa

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Abstract
The disaggregation of brain polysomes which is produced by giving large doses of L-dopa to rats is not reproduced by administering its metabolite, 3- O -methyldopa, by giving D-dopa, which also depletes the brain of S -adenosylmethionine but is not converted to catecholamines, or by giving the L-dopa after a decarboxylase inhibitor. Polysome disaggregation is potentiated by the prior administration of a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, indicating that formation of a catecholamine is an obligatory requirement. These observations suggest that the mechanism by which L-dopa disaggregates brain polysomes involves its conversion to dopamine within the majority of brain cells.