L-Dopa (Levodopa)

L-DOPA is the amino acid from which the neurotransmitter dopamine is produced in the brain. In 1936 in India, it was isolated from bean seeds, used in Ayurveda to treat Parkinson’s disease. However, since the use of levodopa was not seen at the time, the discovery went unappreciated. In the 1950s, Swedish neuropharmacologist Arvid Carlsson studied its use in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, associated with the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in a part of the brain called the black matter. Twenty years later, its use for this purpose has become widespread. Initially, work was carried out on isolating this amino acid from plant raw materials, but this direction was abandoned when a method for its laboratory synthesis was discovered. To date, levodopa is most commonly used in antiparkinsonian therapy, and work on new drugs consists mainly of improving it – enteral, inhaled, extended-release preparations, etc. are being developed. In 2000, Arvid Carlsson was awarded the Nobel Prize for his research.