6-Hydroxydopa

6-Hydroxydopa is a catecholaminergic neurotoxin that damages noradrenergic and dopaminergic neurons and is used in scientific research. It is a precursor and prodrug of 6-hydroxydopamine. The drug is a derivative of levodopa. It has certain advantages over 6-OHDA, such as the ability to cross the blood–brain barrier into the central nervous system and hence the ability to be administered systemically rather than directly into the brain. 6-OH-DOPA was first described in the scientific literature by 1969.