Levels ofl-MethionineS-Adenosyltranferase Activity in Erythrocytes and Concentrations ofS-Adenosylmethionine andS-Adenosylhomocysteine in Whole Blood of Patients with Parkinson's Disease

In the present study, levels ofS-adenosylmethionine (SAM) andS-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) in whole blood as well asl-methionineS-adenosyltransferase (MAT) activity in erythrocytes were assayed in a series of 20 patients with Parkinson's disease and 12 healthy control subjects. A significant difference was found with regard to SAM levels between patients and controls, with the detected levels being 383.1 ± 41.5 nMfor the parkinsonian patients and 680.6 ± 30.9 nMfor the controls. With regard to SAH, we found no difference between the groups. The catalytic activity of MAT was increased by 30% in patients compared to controls, with theVmaxfor methionine being 17.9 ± 3.7 and 13.9 ± 2.2 pmol/mg/h, respectively.