Vanilpyruvic acid is a metabolite of catecholamine and precursor of vanillactic acid.

Catecholamines, dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine constitute a class of chemical neurotransmitters and hormones that play an important role in regulating physiological processes and the development of neurological, mental, endocrine and cardiovascular diseases[1]. Catecholamines, namely dopamine (3,4-dihydrophenylethylamine), norepinephrine (noradrenaline) and epinephrine (adrenaline), act as neurotransmitters or hormones at central and peripheral levels. In addition to being the most abundant of the monoamine neurotransmitters, dopamine is also found in non-neuronal tissues such as the gastrointestinal tract and the kidney, where it participates in the regulation of sodium balance[2].