L-DOPA

L-DOPA
	Skeletal formula of L-DOPA
	Ball-and-stick model of the zwitterionic form of L-DOPA found in the crystal structure
Names
	IUPAC name (S)-2-Amino-3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)propanoic acid
	Other names l-3,4-Dihydroxyphenylalanine; Levodopa
Identifiers
CAS Number	59-92-7;
3D model (JSmol)	Interactive image;
ChEBI	CHEBI:15765;
ChEMBL	ChEMBL1009;
ChemSpider	5824;
DrugBank	DB01235;
ECHA InfoCard	100.000.405
EC Number	200-445-2;
KEGG	C00355;
PubChem CID	6047;
UNII	46627O600J;
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)	DTXSID9023209 ;
	InChI InChI=1S/C9H11NO4/c10-6(9(13)14)3-5-1-2-7(11)8(12)4-5/h1-2,4,6,11-12H,3,10H2,(H,13,14)/t6-/m0/s1 Key: WTDRDQBEARUVNC-LURJTMIESA-N;
	SMILES C1=CC(=C(C=C1C[C@@H](C(=O)O)N)O)O;
Properties
Chemical formula	C9H11NO4
Molar mass	197.19 g/mol
	Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). Infobox references

l-DOPA, also known as l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine and used medically as levodopa, is made and used as part of the normal biology of some plants and animals, including humans. Humans, as well as a portion of the other animals that utilize l-DOPA, make it via biosynthesis from the amino acid l-tyrosine.

l-DOPA is the precursor to the neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine (noradrenaline), and epinephrine (adrenaline), which are collectively known as catecholamines. Furthermore, l-DOPA itself mediates neurotrophic factor release by the brain and central nervous system. In some plant families (of the order Caryophyllales), l-DOPA is the central precursor of a biosynthetic pathway that produces a class of pigments called betalains.

l-DOPA can be manufactured and in its pure form is sold as a drug with the INNTooltip International Nonproprietary Name levodopa. As a drug, it is used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease and dopamine-responsive dystonia, as well as restless leg syndrome.

l-DOPA has a counterpart with opposite chirality, d-DOPA. As is true for many molecules, the human body produces only one of these isomers (the l-DOPA form). The enantiomeric purity of l-DOPA may be analyzed by determination of the optical rotation or by chiral thin-layer chromatography.