Thinking of novel ways to get dopamine (not levodopa) into the brain, it can;t be done orally (doesn't pass the BBB, so a patch is no good either). We have mentioned the nasal route of drug delivery to the brain before. It bypasses the BBB. This route is used increasingly for many illnesses.
Dopamine can be stored in the brain,
http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictiona...+hydrochloride
Dopamine is manufactured inside dopamine neurons in a controlled manner from the amino acid precursor L -tyrosine, which mammals obtain through the normal diet. Dopamine is then stored in vesicles within the nerve terminals
Dopamine is fairly soluble in water, (60 grms/100mls), so what if we made an aqueous solution and delivered an aerosol spray through the nose?
Would we only need a quick spray hourly if it can be stored. I have read we make most dopamine during the night and store it. The supply gets thin by evening which is presumably why I flag evenings.
One thing we would have to take care of is dopamine can do lots of other things in the body, such as heart rate,
http://www.tiscali.co.uk/lifestyle/h...100000840.html
At lower doses it binds to dopamine receptors in the kidney, gut, brain and heart causing the blood vessels in these organs to widen. This improves the blood flow and therefore improves the amount of oxygen supplied to the organs. It also causes an increase in urine output from the kidneys. When the dose of dopamine is increased, beta-receptors, which are found on the heart muscle, are also activated. This causes an increase in the rate and strength at which the heart beats
However these effects are in the body, and we are putting it into the brain where it is locked in since it can't cross the BBB into the body.
I can't believe it could be that simple but what do the other tame chemists think? It should be easy to obtain from a lab chemical supplier, it is not on prescription.
Ron