Sentence examples for levodopa to the from inspiring English sources
Recent trials have demonstrated a discontinuous and intermittent delivery of levodopa to the brain [3].
Therefore, current researches in the symptomatic treatment of Parkinson's disease focused more on the development of an effective system to deliver levodopa to the brain or new drug formulation with controlled release property [3].
Its addition to levodopa since the 1970s has decreased the incidence of the aforementioned side effects and increased the availability of levodopa to the brain.
Maintenance of constant plasma concentrations of levodopa largely abolishes the clinical fluctuations in parkinsonian patients [ 7– 10], indicating that delivery of levodopa to the striatum is a critical determinant of clinical response [ 11].
Comparable levodopa bioavailability for LCIG and LC-oral is in agreement with direct delivery of levodopa to the proximal small intestine with LCIG infusion, where the expression of the large neutral amino acid transporter, the absorptive carrier of levodopa, is highest 12.
Cotreatment with a drug called carbidopa, which inhibits an enzyme that breaks down levodopa prior to crossing the blood-brain barrier, allows higher concentrations of levodopa to reach the brain.
The enzyme COMT breaks down levodopa; therefore, the addition of a COMT inhibitor allows more levodopa to reach the brain.
Decarboxylase inhibitors prevent conversion of levodopa to dopamine in the peripheral circulation, thereby allowing more levodopa to cross the blood brain barrier into the central nervous system (CNS) (Olanow et al 2001).
One expects exogenous levodopa to increase dopamine release in the substantia nigra, as occurred in the control subjects.
7 In the periphery, COMT is involved in the conversion of levodopa to 3-OMD.
12 Given the potential for levodopa to cause motor complications, it is a common treatment strategy to initiate therapy with an alternate medication and add levodopa later in the disease course as symptoms become more severe.
