3-Hydroxy-L-tyrosine methyl ester (melevodopa, L-dopa methyl ester) is a prodrug of levodopa used for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. L-DOPA methyl ester is a potent competitive antagonist for the action of L-DOPA. Short-term exposure to L-DOPA methyl ester inhibits the induction of endogenous xenotropic type-C virus from Kirsten sarcoma-virus-transformed BALB/c (K-BALB) mouse cells. L-DOPA methyl ester has weak activity against against L1210 and P388 murine leukaemias and B-16 melanoma cell lines.
