CARBIDOPA-LEVODOPA AND SELEGILINE DO NOT AFFECT PLATELET MITOCHONDRIAL-FUNCTION IN EARLY PARKINSONISM

Previous studies have demonstrated impaired complex I activity in platelets from Parkinson's disease (PD) patients who were receiving levodopa and other medications for their disease. Eleven patients with early PD underwent three sequential plateletphereses: while on no medication, after receiving carbidopa/levodopa for 1 month, and after receiving carbidopa/levodopa plus selegiline for 1 additional month. As expected, carbidopa/levodopa and selegiline significantly improved motor function in these patients. Treatment with carbidopa/levodopa alone and carbidopa/levodopa plus selegiline did not affect the activities of complexes I, II/III, and TV and citrate synthetase. These observations support the hypothesis that impaired complex I activity in PD patients is a characteristic of the disease and not due to medications.