Fluorimetric assay for catechol-O-methyltransferase.

Catechol-o-methyltransferase Activity: Assay, Distribution and Pharmacological Modification

Metabolism of catechol estrogens by erythrocyte catechol-O methyltransferase.

Fishman and Tulchinsky (1) present evidence that the catechol estrogen 2hydroxyestrone suppresses serum prolactin in normal ovulatory young women. However, in 3 of the 12 subjects studied the authors were unable to suppress serum prolactin and suggested that prolactin response to 2-hydroxyestrone is subjectand not time-dependent. In a study designed to evaluate the kinetics of catechol estrogen...

Catechol-O-Methyltransferase in Parkinson’s Disease

The introduction of levodopa therapy for Parkinson’s disease (PD), initially by Birkmayer and colleagues in 1961 and Barbeau and colleagues in 1962, and in its ultimately successful form by Cotzias and colleagues in 1967, still represents the defining landmark in the treatment of PD (1–3). This dramatic advance was preceded by methodical basic laboratory research in the late 1950s and early 196...

Catechol-O-methyltransferase and Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the main causes of neurological disability in the elderly. Levodopa is the gold standard for treating this disease, but chronic levodopa therapy is complicated by motor fluctuation and dyskinesia. The catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitors represent a new class of antiparkinsonian drugs. When coadministered with levodopa/decarboxylase inhibitor, 2 COMT...

Catechol-O-methyltransferase, a new target for pancreatic cancer therapy

Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is an important molecule in different types of cancers. Its biological effect and therapeutic significance, however, rarely been investigated fully in pancreatic cancer. Immunohistologically, high COMT expression was significantly correlated with the longer overall survival of patients (P < 0.05), indicating its protective nature. The effects of COMT on cell ...