Open AccessInfluence of carbidopa,an aromatic amino acid decarboxylase inhibitor,on the development of autoimmune hemolytic anemia in NZB mice.
Author(s) -
Eiji Maki,
Michiko Kondo,
Masayuki Kemi,
Kenzaburo Tanabe
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
japanese journal of pharmacology/japanese journal of pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1347-3506
pISSN - 0021-5198
DOI - 10.1254/jjp.33.373
Subject(s) - autoimmune hemolytic anemia , aromatic l amino acid decarboxylase , carbidopa , chemistry , aromatic amino acids , pharmacology , biochemistry , anemia , amino acid , medicine , enzyme , disease , levodopa , parkinson's disease
Causal relationships of carbidopa and its related drugs on the development of spontaneous autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) in NZB mice were studied, and the following results were obtained: 1) Long term treatment with carbidopa (3 mg/kg/day) and levodopa (30 mg/kg/day) neither accelerated nor suppressed the development of spontaneous AIHA in NZB mice. 2) In mice treated with carbidopa/levodopa (3/30 mg/kg/day), microhematocrit levels were lower than those in the control mice on and after 20 weeks of age and showed a significant decrease at 66 weeks of age (P less than 0.05). The average anti-RBC antibody titers reached the maximum level 8 weeks earlier than the control group. 3) Microhematocrit levels in the alpha-methyldopa (60 mg/kg/day)-treated group were higher than those in the control group, and at 66 weeks of age, they were decreased below that in the control group. The elevation of anti-RBC antibody titers was slower than that in the control group. As the reason for the weak effectiveness of alpha-methyldopa on the incidence of AIHA, it might be considered that the dosage employed was not sufficiently high enough and/or it may be due to the species difference between man and animals. Further studies are necessary in order to draw a conclusion on the AIHA-inducing ability of carbidopa.