Mechanism of action. Tolcapone inhibits the action of the enzyme catechol-O-methyltransferase, which acts to metabolize or degrade catechols that include dopamine, adrenaline, and noradrenaline. Catechol-O-methyltransferase, found in the synaptic cleft of dopaminergic neurons, is the second most significant metabolic pathway for levodopa. O-methylation reactions may influence the response to levodopa in Parkinson disease by the following mechanisms:
Catechol-O-methyltransferase in the gut may metabolize levodopa during absorption and, thus, reduce the bioavailability of the drug.
O-methylation of levodopa in the systemic circulation can facilitate the elimination of levodopa from plasma and, thus, reduce the plasma half-life of levodopa.
O-methylation of levodopa by catechol-O-methyltransferase in the brain capillary endothelial cells further reduces the entry of levodopa into the brain.
O-methylation of dopamine terminates the action of the neurotransmitter in the brain.
Accumulation of O-methylated levodopa in the brain was initially considered to inhibit levodopa transport to the brain. Studies with PET show that 3-O-methyldopa does not inhibit the transport of levodopa analog 18F-dopa into the brain. However, catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibition, which successfully blocks O-methylation, is a useful strategy to increase the bioavailability of levodopa. Catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitors substantially increase the levels of free 18F-dopa in the plasma and the striatum after their administration. Free striatal 18F-dopa storage increases following catechol-O-methyltransferase administration in patients with early Parkinson disease, but there is only a small increase in patients with advanced disease. Therefore, it is likely that in advanced Parkinson disease the benefits of catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibition are likely due to the maintenance of plasma levodopa levels rather than the provision of a greater striatal store of levodopa available for decarboxylation. Further 18F-dopa PET studies have shown that tolcapone has a significant blocking effect on peripheral and central catechol-O-methyltransferase but not dopa decarboxylase activity.
Tolcapone lowers elevated homocysteine levels associated with levodopa treatment in patients with Parkinson disease (Müller and Kuhn 2006). This may reduce long-term degenerative changes in the brain associated with hyperhomocysteinemia.