L‐dopa increases <b>α</b>‐synuclein DNA methylation in Parkinson's disease patients <i>in vivo</i> and <i>in vitro</i>

Abstract

α-Synuclein methylation levels depended on disease status, sex, age, and the genotype of rs3756063. The pharmacological action of L-dopa was not limited to the dopamine precursor function but included epigenetic off-target effects. The hypomethylation of α-synuclein in sporadic PD patients' blood already observed in previous studies was probably underestimated because of effect of L-dopa, which was not known previously. The analysis of α-synuclein methylation can help to identify nonparkinsonian individuals with reasonable specificity, which offers a valuable tool for researchers and clinicians.