Peripherally administered (6R)-tetrahydrobiopterin increases in vivo tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the striatum measured by microdialysis both in normal mice and in transgenic mice carrying human tyrosine hydroxylase.
The intraperitoneal administration of (6R)-L-erythro-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobiopterin (6R-BH4), the natural cofactor of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), increased the accumulation of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) measured using microdialysis under the inhibition of aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase by NSD-1015 (in vivo TH activity) in the striatum both of transgenic mice carrying human TH gene and of non-transgenic mice, to a similar extent by about 4-fold. The results indicate that the peripherally administered 6R-BH4 activates in vivo TH activity in the nigrostriatal dopamine neurons in both non-transgenic and transgenic mice.