Science· 2017Q1· Review
Kynurenines: Tryptophan’s metabolites in exercise, inflammation, and mental health
- 1,350citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2017year
Short summary
Kynurenine metabolites, derived from tryptophan breakdown, are crucial regulators of host-microbiome signaling, immune responses, and neuronal activity. Their accumulation in the brain is linked to depression and schizophrenia, but can be reduced by exercise-induced clearance in skeletal muscle.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Kynurenine metabolites regulate host-microbiome signaling, immune response, and neuronal excitability.
- Peripheral inflammation can lead to kynurenine accumulation in the brain, associated with depression and schizophrenia.
- Exercise training can suppress kynurenine accumulation by activating clearance in skeletal muscle.
- This pathway represents a mechanism of inter-organ cross-talk mediated by tryptophan metabolites.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Kynurenine metabolites are generated by tryptophan catabolism and regulate biological processes that include host-microbiome signaling, immune cell response, and neuronal excitability. Enzymes of the kynurenine pathway are expressed in different tissues and cell types throughout the body and are regulated by cues, including nutritional and inflammatory signals. As a consequence of this systemic metabolic integration, peripheral inflammation can contribute to accumulation of kynurenine in the brain, which has been associated with depression and schizophrenia. Conversely, kynurenine accumulation can be suppressed by activating kynurenine clearance in exercised skeletal muscle. The effect of exercise training on depression through modulation of the kynurenine pathway highlights an important mechanism of interorgan cross-talk mediated by these metabolites. Here, we discuss peripheral mechanisms of tryptophan-kynurenine metabolism and their effects on inflammatory, metabolic, oncologic, and psychiatric disorders.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Science, 2017 · DOI ↗
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Field: Biological Psychiatry
Biological PsychiatryNeuroscience