The R enantiomer of salsolinol was detected in the urine of two out of six healthy subjects, whereas 1,2-dehydrosalsolinol was present in the urine of all the subjects. (S)-salsolinol was never detected. Administration of Madopar for 7 days resulted in the presence of large amounts of (R)- and (S)-salsolinol in the urine of five out of the six subjects, the urinary excretion of 1,2-dehydrosalsolinol being generally not markedly increased. The presence of 1,2-dehydrosalsolinol in urine suggests that the biosynthesis of salsolinol in healthy volunteers should occur by condensation of dopamine with pyruvic acid, in keeping with Hahn's hypothesis. The absence of salsolinol in the urine of one subject after Madopar administration seems to indicate that the biological system(s) involved in the reduction of the C = N bond in 1,2-dehydrosalsolinol can be missing or not, or poorly, functional in some individuals, and suggests that there is no alternative pathway for the formation of salsolinol in healthy volunteers.
Salsolinol is present in human fluids and tissues as well as in some foods and beverages. It was found previously that the R enantiomer of salsolinol predominates in human urine whereas the S enantiomer predominates in Port wine. In this study a new methodology for measuring the proportion of the R and S salsolinol enantiomers in dried banana and human urine is described. In dried banana, a food particularly rich in salsolinol, the R/S ratio was found to be very near to 1. In urine from additional healthy volunteers, the presence of only the R enantiomer was detected. The origin of urinary salsolinol and its enantiomeric composition are discussed with respect to exogenous salsolinol.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.