The controversy concerning plasma homocysteine in Parkinson disease patients treated with levodopa alone or with entacapone: effects of vitamin status

Levodopa treatment of Parkinson disease results in hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) as a consequence of levodopa methylation by catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT). Although inhibition of COMT should theoretically prevent or reduce levodopa-induced HHcy, results from several prospective studies are conflicting. Our review of these studies suggests that the ability of COMT inhibition to reduce or prevent levodopa-induced HHcy in Parkinson disease patients may be attributed to differences in the vitamin status of the study participants. In patients with low or low-normal folate levels, levodopa administration is associated with a greater increase in homocysteine and concomitant entacapone administration is associated with a greater reduction in homocysteine.