An enzyme that degrades and inactivates catecholamines such as dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Comt is also important in the metabolism of levodopa (l-dopa), a precursor of dopamine used in the treatment of parkinson’s disease. Comt inhibitors such as entacapone (comtan) inhibit degradation of levodopa, permitting greater and more sustained levels of levodopa to penetrate the brain, where it can be converted to dopamine. Whether variations in comt contribute to susceptibility to schizophrenia is currently a matter of considerable controversy.
Enzyme which inactivates neurotransmitters with a phenolics OH group (dopamine, nordrenaline, serotonin) through methylation.
An enzyme that deactivates catecholamine at the synapse.