Drug Metabolism as a Community Effort.

Hitchings, Reese; Kelly, Libusha · Cell Metab · 2019

other · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

Levodopa (L-dopa) is the primary treatment for Parkinson's disease. The gut microbiome can metabolize levodopa, potentially leading to decreased efficacy and side effects, but responsible bacteria were unknown. Maini Rekdal et al. (2019) characterize enzymes in two gut bacteria that sequentially metabolize L-dopa and identify a novel inhibitor that may improve outcomes.

Medical subject headings