R- and S-salsolinol are not increased in cerebrospinal fluid of Parkinsonian patients

Various investigators address an augmented synthesis of tetrahydroisoquinol ines, such as salsolinol (SAL), or an increased N-methylation of these comp ounds as putative pathophysiologic mechanisms in Parkinson's disease (PD). Objectives of this study were (1) the evaluation of a putative elevation of enantiomers (R-, S-) of SAL and (2) the investigation of relations between these metabolic precursors of neurotoxic N-methylated-SAL (NMSAL) and dopa mine in cerebrospinal fluid of untreated de-novo Parkinsonian patients and age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Levels of R- and S-SAL and dopamine did not significantly (R-SAL: P=0.75, S-SAL: P=0.69, dopamine: P=0.46) diff er and dopamine did not correlate to R-SAL and S-SAL in both groups. We con clude, that central accumulation of R-NMSAL, which is neurotoxic to dopamin ergic nigrostriatal neurons, is not due to elevated synthesis of R-SAL and/ or S-SAL in PD. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.