Pharmacodynamics
Tolcapone binds to the catalytic center of COMT in both peripheral and central nervous systems with greater affinity than any of the three catecholamine, including levodopa.[7] It thereby prevents the 3-0-methylation of L-DOPA (3-hydroxy-L-tyrosine) by COMT which produces 3-O-methyldopa, a major metabolite that competes with levodopa to cross the blood-brain barrier. Thus, tolcapone improves the bioavailability and reduces the clearance of levodopa and subsequently dopamine from the central nervous system (CNS)
The strength of the binding affinity of tolcapone, represented by the inhibition constant Ki (2.50 nM), can be thought of as the dissociation constant for enzyme and inhibitor complex kinetics. Maximum catalytic activity denotes the efficacy of tolcapone (Vmax=58.4 pmol/min·mg)