Tolcapone

Tolcapone
Systematic (IUPAC) name
(3,4-dihydroxy-5-nitrophenyl)(4-methylphenyl)methanone
Clinical data
Trade names Tasmar
AHFS/Drugs.com monograph
MedlinePlus a698036
Pregnancy cat. C(US)
Legal status -only (US)
Routes Oral
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability 65%
Protein binding >99.9%
Half-life 2-3.5 hours
Identifiers
CAS number 134308-13-7 Y
ATC code N04BX01
PubChem CID 4659569
DrugBank APRD00445
ChemSpider 3848682 Y
UNII CIF6334OLY Y
KEGG D00786 Y
ChEMBL CHEMBL1324 Y
Chemical data
Formula C14H11NO5 
Mol. mass 273.241 g/mol
SMILES eMolecules & PubChem
 N(what is this?)  (verify)

Tolcapone (tradename Tasmar) is a drug that inhibits the enzyme catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT). [1]

Contents

Uses

Tolcapone is used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease as an adjunct to levodopa/carbidopa medication.

Chemistry

Tolcapone is a yellow, odorless, non-hygroscopic, crystalline compound with a relative molecular mass of 273.25. The chemical name of tolcapone is 3,4-dihydroxy-4’-methyl-5-nitrobenzophenone. Its empirical formula is C14H11NO5.

Pharmacology

Tolcapone has the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and thus exerts its COMT inhibitory effects in the CNS as well as in the periphery.

Tolcapone has demonstrated significant hepatotoxicity[2] that limits the drug's utility. Entacapone, another COMT inhibitor, is an alternative selection for L-DOPA adjunct therapy in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, largely since it has a more favorable toxicity profile.

Normally, administration of levodopa is compromised when COMT converts it to 3-methoxy-dopa. By preventing this effect, more of the levodopa that is administered reaches the CNS. Additionally, levodopa that is in the CNS, after being converted to dopamine, will not be degraded by COMT when tolcapone inhibits COMT activity.

See also

References