Chronic monoamine oxidase-B inhibitor treatment blocks monoamine oxidase-A enzyme activity

Patients with Parkinson's disease receive selective irreversible monoamine oxidase (MAO)-B inhibitors, but their effects on MAO-A activity are not known during long-term application. We determined MAO-A inhibition in plasma samples from patients with MAO-B inhibitor intake or without MAO-B inhibitor treatment and from healthy controls. We detected a 70 % reduction of MAO-A activity in patients with MAO-B inhibitor therapy in comparison to the other groups. Our results suggest that treatment with MAO-B inhibitor may also influence MAO-A activity in vivo, when administered daily.