Definition of "decarboxylation" []

• Removal of a carboxyl group from a chemical compound, usually with hydrogen replacing it. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "No matter the source of tryptophan, the biosynthesis begins with the decarboxylation of L-tryptophan (step 1)."
• "Droxidopa is a synthetic catecholamine that is directly converted to norepinephrine NE via decarboxylation, resulting in increased levels of NE in the nervous system, both centrally and peripherally."
• "This was most likely due to decreased peripheral decarboxylation of levodopa rather than to a primary effect of carbidopa on the peripheral nervous system."