Session Information
Date: Monday, September 23, 2019
Session Title: Other
Session Time: 1:45pm-3:15pm
Location: Agora 2 West, Level 2
Objective: To find out whether PD patients show decreased salivary caffeine levels; to investigate CYP1A2-phenotype and caffeine absorption as possible causes of decreased caffeine levels in PD patients.
Background: Caffeine has a protective role in Parkinson’s disease (PD). One study showed decreased caffeine blood levels in PD patients compared to healthy subjects (HS)[1], even when controlled for caffeine assumption and CYP1A2 genotype, the enzyme responsible for 95% of caffeine metabolism. Beside genetic polymorphism, CYP1A2 functioning (i.e. phenotype) is influenced by exogenous and endogenous factors[2]. Caffeine levels can be accurately quantified in saliva.
Method: We enrolled 26 HS (age: 59.7±6.3), 26 early (64.1±8.2), and 16 moderate/advanced (age: 68.9±8.3) PD patients. Daily caffeine intake was recorded. Caffeine and its major metabolite paraxanthine were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography in saliva samples collected before (T0) and 4 hours after (T1) oral intake of 100mg caffeine. CYP1A2-phenotype was calculated as the paraxanthine/caffeine ratio at T1. Caffeine absorption was calculated as the difference in caffeine levels between T1 and T0.
Results: Caffeine intake was similar between groups. When compared to HS, moderate/advanced PD patients showed lower caffeine levels, while early PD did not. PD patients and HS showed similar CYP1A2-phenotype. PD patients showed lower values of caffeine absorption when compared to HS, but this difference reached statistical significance only for early patients.
Conclusion: Salivary levels of caffeine were decreased in patients with moderate/advanced PD and unrelated to caffeine intake. Caffeine metabolism is not different between PD patients and HS. PD patients showed decreased caffeine absorption especially in the early stage of the disease. Our results shed light on a possible mechanism contributing to PD pathogenesis.
References: 1. Fujimaki M, et al., 2018. Serum caffeine and metabolites are reliable biomarkers of early Parkinson disease | Neurology 90, 5:404–11. 2. Gunes A, et al., 2008. Variation in CYP1A2 activity and its clinical implications: influence of environmental factors and genetic polymorphisms. Pharmacogenomics, 9:625–37.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
MI. de Bartolo, G. Leodori, A. Fabbrini, M. Costanzo, D. Belvisi, A. Conte, S. Manetto, A. Ciogli, C. Villani, A. Berardelli, G. Fabbrini. Investigation into the causes of reduced caffeine levels in Parkinson’s disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2019; 34 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/investigation-into-the-causes-of-reduced-caffeine-levels-in-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed May 25, 2025.« Back to 2019 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/investigation-into-the-causes-of-reduced-caffeine-levels-in-parkinsons-disease/