DOPAL

DOPAL is an aldehyde product of the oxidative deamination of dopamine by monoamine oxidase.¹ It can be further oxidized to 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) by aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) and, to a lesser extent reduced to 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl ethanol (DOPET; Item No. 70604). DOPAL is toxic to neurons.^2,3 It can also oligomerize and precipitate α-synuclein, an event associated with Parkinson’s disease.² Mice lacking cytosolic and mitochondrial forms of ALDH display increased levels of DOPAL as well as neurodegeneration and motor dysfunction characteristic of Parkinson’s disease.⁴

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1. Jinsmaa, Y., Florang, V.R., Rees, J.N., et al. Products of oxidative stress inhibit aldehyde oxidation and reduction pathways in dopamine catabolism yielding elevated levels of a reactive intermediate. Chem. Res. Toxicol. 22(5), 835-841 (2009).

2. Goldstein, D.S., Sullivan, P., Holmes, C., et al. Determinants of buildup of the toxic dopamine metabolite DOPAL in Parkinson’s disease. J. Neurochem. 126(5), 591-603 (2013).

3. Panneton, W.M., Kumar, V.B., Gan, Q., et al. The neurotoxicity of DOPAL: Behavioral and stereological evidence for its role in Parkinson disease pathogenesis. PLoS One 5(12), e15251 (2010).

4. Wey, M.C.Y., Fernandez, E., Martinez, P.A., et al. Neurodegeneration and motor dysfunction in mice lacking cytosolic and mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenases: implications for Parkinson’s disease. PLoS One 7(2), e31522 (2012).