Among other disruptive behaviors, these inflammatory agents induce the enzyme indoleamine 2,3 - dioxygenase, which «steals» tryptophan in the production
of kynurenine, resulting in a net decrease in the almighty serotonin.
Alterations
of the kynurenine pathway have been assessed in PD (as well as other neurodegenerative diseases).
Despite the small size of the pilot study, researchers demonstrated reduced plasma levels
of kynurenine with increased tryptophan levels.
GF mice have been shown to have increased plasma tryptophan concentrations, 47, 48 which can be normalized following post-weaning colonization.47 Resident gut bacteria can utilize tryptophan for growth229 and in some cases, production of indole, 230, 231 or serotonin (reviewed by O'Mahony and colleagues95), while the microbiota might also affect tryptophan availability by influencing host enzymes responsible for its degradation.47 By limiting the availability of tryptophan for serotonin production in the CNS (EC - derived serotonin does not cross the BBB), the gut microbiota could influence serotonergic neurotransmission.95 In vulnerable populations, reducing the circulating concentrations of tryptophan has been shown to affect mood, and to reinstate depressive symptoms in patients who have successfully responded to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.232, 233 The gut microbiota could also influence the production of both neuroprotective and neurotoxic components
of the kynurenine pathway.224
Alteration
of kynurenine: tryptophan ratios has been linked with depression and anxiety.
It turns out that activation of the PGC - 1a1 pathway increases skeletal muscle expression
of kynurenine aminotransferases, to enhance the conversion
of kynurenine into kynurenic acid.
Not exact matches
Countless studies prove the myriad health benefits
of working out, including recent research that found strengthening your muscles releases enzymes that detoxify a substance called
kynurenine, a byproduct
of stress and inflammation.
Dr. Schwarcz and his colleagues studied mice which were deficient in
kynurenine 3 - monooxygenase, or KMO, an enzyme that is crucial for determining the levels
of KYNA in the brain.
In this study, the researchers demonstrated that when normal mice were given
kynurenine, they displayed depressive behaviour, while mice with increased levels
of PGC - 1a1 in muscle were not affected.
This could be due to incomplete gene knockdown, the presence
of another body pigment in analogy with the Drosophila eye, or accumulation
of colored intermediates in ommochrome biosynthesis (for instance,
kynurenine imparts a yellow color to the eyes
of deep - sea fish; Thorpe et al., 1992).
Gene expression analysis
of the animals» skeletal muscles led to another clue: differences in the
kynurenine pathway
of tryptophan degradation.
kynurenine mono - oxygenase, an enzyme that controls the balance
of harmful and protective chemicals resulting from the breakdown
of proteins
IDO is a key immunoregulatory enzyme in the metabolism
of the essential amino acid tryptophan to
kynurenine.
Tryptophan depletion results in the inhibition
of effector T cells and
kynurenine accumulation results in the expansion
of immune - suppressant regulatory T cells.
Indoleamine 2,3 - dioxygenase (IDO1) is an enzyme that catalyze the transformation
of the amino acid tryptophan in
kynurenine.
«The vast majority
of GI tryptophan is not utilized for serotonin production, but rather metabolized via the
kynurenine pathway.
Stress and inflammation divert tryptophan down an alternate pathway (known as the
kynurenine pathway) which does not make 5 - HTP, and produces
kynurenine instead
of serotonin as an end product.
The authors go on to say, this results in «excitotoxic neuronal overstimulation, the LPS - induced inflammation can increase the activity
of indoleamine -2,3-dioxyegenase (IDO), an enzyme that breaks down tryptophan in the
kynurenine pathway.
The end result
of endotoxemia may be decreased tryptophan and enhanced
kynurenine availability, along with compromised serotonergic functioning [32 — 34].»
The rest
of the tryptophan, or about 95 % goes down the
kynurenine pathway.
Also, it seems that in the presence
of inflammation, tryptophan is not metabolized into serotonin but instead
kynurenine and eventually the excitotoxin quinolonic acid, contributing to unoexcitoxicity and neuronal degeneration.
PD patients have higher L -
kynurenine / tryptophan ratios in serum and CSF as compared to controls, suggesting up - regulated activity
of enzymes involved in catabolizing tryptophan to
kynurenine (i.e. - indoleamine -2,3-di-oxygenase (IDO); tryptophan 2,3 - dioxygenase (TDO)-RRB-.»