Molecular target
Aromatic L-Amino Acid Decarboxylase (DOPA Decarboxylase)
Also: DDC, DOPA decarboxylase · id AADC
Enzyme that decarboxylates L-DOPA to dopamine and 5-HTP to serotonin. Peripherally inhibited by carbidopa and benserazide, co-administered with levodopa to limit premature peripheral conversion. Plant aromatic-amino-acid precursors — Mucuna’s L-DOPA and 5-HTP — are substrates of this same enzyme.
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Pharmaceutical agents
Drugs that act on Aromatic L-Amino Acid Decarboxylase (DOPA Decarboxylase)
These medications have Aromatic L-Amino Acid Decarboxylase (DOPA Decarboxylase) among their molecular targets. Sharing a target is a mechanistic relationship — it does not make any plant below an alternative to, or substitute for, these drugs.
Botanical connections
Plants whose compounds act on Aromatic L-Amino Acid Decarboxylase (DOPA Decarboxylase)
Each plant below contains a named compound documented to act on Aromatic L-Amino Acid Decarboxylase (DOPA Decarboxylase). The compound and the reason for the connection are shown on every edge — a shared mechanism, not a therapeutic equivalence.
- L-DOPA (as AADC substrate)Catecholamine precursor (amino acid)
Mucuna’s L-DOPA is a substrate of aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC), the enzyme that decarboxylates it to dopamine; carbidopa inhibits this enzyme peripherally — the basis of the levodopa–carbidopa combination.
- 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP)Aromatic amino acid (serotonin precursor)
5-HTP is a substrate of aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC), the enzyme that converts it to serotonin. Carbidopa — co-administered with levodopa — inhibits this same enzyme peripherally, a documented 5-HTP–carbidopa interaction.