Enantiomeric composition of urinary salsolinol in parkinsonian patients after Madopar.

Urinary salsolinol output had been shown to be lower in Parkinsonian patients than in controls and to increase largely after L-dopa therapy. It had also been established that the R enantiomer of salsolinol is either the predominant or the sole enantiomer present in the urine of healthy subjects. When Madopar was administered to Parkinsonians, the enantiomeric composition of urinary salsolinol showed an S/R ratio around 1. Considering brain and plasma concentrations in dopamine, acetaldehyde and pyruvate, it is suggested that, under physiological conditions, urinary salsolinol should have a central origin in humans. Conversely, urinary salsolinol in Madopar-treated Parkinsonian patients might be predominantly formed at the periphery.