What is "levodopa"

levodopa \le`vo*do"pa\ (l[=e]`v[-o]*d[=o]"p[.a]), a. [Levo- + DOPA, dihydroxyphenylalanine.] (Chem. & Biochem.) A substance used as a therapy for Parkinson's Disease; the L form of Dopa; L-dihydroxyphenylalanine; L-hydroxytyrosine ( C9H11NO4); also called L-dopa. In the body it is converted by the enzyme dopa-decarboxylase into dopamine, the form in which it is active in the brain, affecting neural impulse transmission.

n. A naturally-occurring amino acid found in food, converted into dopamine in the brain and body, and administered clinically in the management of Parkinson's disease and dopa-responsive dystonia.

n. the levorotatory form of dopa (trade names Bendopa and Brocadopa and Larodopa); as a drug it is used to treat Parkinson's disease [syn: L-dopa, Bendopa, Brocadopa, Larodopa]