US EPA

2877279 

Journal Article 

Electroenzymatic synthesis of l-DOPA 

Min, K; Park, DH; Yoo, YJ 

2010 

Yes 

Journal of Biotechnology
ISSN: 0168-1656
EISSN: 1873-4863 

146 

1-2 

40-44 

English 

20083145 

10.1016/j.jbiotec.2010.01.002 

WOS:000276089600005 

Parkinson's disease is caused by a deficiency of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Since l-DOPA (l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) is a precursor of dopamine and can pass across the blood-brain barrier, it has been used as a treatment for Parkinson's disease. Hundreds tons of l-DOPA are produced per year, and most of the current supply is produced by a chemical method of asymmetric synthesis. However, the chemical process for l-DOPA synthesis requires an expensive metal catalyst and shows low conversion rates and low enantioselectivity. In this study, we developed a novel technology for the production of l-DOPA, an electroenzymatic synthesis with a tyrosinase-immobilized cathode under the reduction potential of DOPAquinone, which is -530 mV. Compared to other approaches for l-DOPA synthesis reported previously, this electroenzymatic system showed the highest conversion rate and a highly enhanced productivity of up to 95.9% and 47.27 mg l(-1)h(-1), respectively.