ReviewFrontiers in immunology2017
Kynurenic Acid: The Janus-Faced Role of an Immunomodulatory Tryptophan Metabolite and Its Link to Pathological Conditions.
Review in Frontiers in immunology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 231 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
231 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 351 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Single Exercise Session Elicits a Transient Kynurenine Metabolic Signature in Health and Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- The tryptophan catabolite or kynurenine pathway in schizophrenia: meta-analysis reveals dissociations between central, serum, and plasma compartments.Molecular psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- The tryptophan catabolite or kynurenine pathway in COVID-19 and critical COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC infectious diseases · 2022Pooled it
- The role of the kynurenine pathway in the pathogenesis of pain and affective disorders after traumatic brain injury.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Review
- Discovery of a Dual IDO1/TDO Inhibitor That Modulates Enzymatic Activity and IDO1/SHP-2 Signaling.Journal of medicinal chemistry · 2026Article
- Spleen Metabolome Reveals Immune-Mediated Responses Modulated by Onion Peel Extract inMicroorganisms · 2026Article
- AhR as a Common Denominator in Immunity and Inflammation in Chronic Lung Diseases: Molecular and Clinical Insights.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Mechanism of Buzhong Yiqi decoction for Hashimoto's thyroiditis: insights from gut microbiota and metabolomics.Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan · 2026Article
- Targeting the SIRT6-TDO2/KYNA-mTOR axis rescues synaptic and cognitive deficits in fetal growth restriction offspring.Experimental & molecular medicine · 2026Article
- Cell Signaling by Tryptophan Catabolism.Biochemistry · 2026Review
- Tryptophan-kynurenine metabolic reprogramming along the gut-brain axis alleviates Alzheimer's pathology.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2026Article
- Tryptophan metabolism in glaucomatous optic neuropathy: from metabolic dysregulation to therapeutic opportunities.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Review
- Immune-proteo-metabolomic changes link to Aβ and tau pathology in Alzheimer disease.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Article
- Gut microbiota-derived metabolites as immune modulators in aging and age-related chronic inflammatory diseases.Ageing research reviews · 2026Review
- Low-dose chronic exposure to hemin and kynurenine enhances metabolic adaptation in a colorectal cancer cell model.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Tryptophan metabolism alterations in neurological and psychiatric diseases: Molecular mechanisms and pharmacological targets.Metabolic brain disease · 2026Review
- Kynurenine pathway dysregulation in major depressive disorder: the convergence of excitotoxicity, neuroinflammation, and oxidative stress.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2026Review
- Metformin and Sitagliptin Impact the Brain Kynurenine Pathway: Region-Specific Modulation of Neuroactive Metabolites in Non-Diabetic Male Rats.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Receptor-Mitochondria Crosstalk in the Kynurenine Metabolic Pathway: Integrating Metabolomics and Clinical Mass Spectrometry.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
171 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Tryptophan metabolites are known to participate in the regulation of many cells of the immune system and are involved in various immune-mediated diseases and disorders. Kynurenic acid (KYNA) is a product of one branch of the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism. The influence of KYNA on important neurophysiological and neuropathological processes has been comprehensively documented. In recent years, the link of KYNA to the immune system, inflammation, and cancer has become more apparent. Given this connection, the anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive functions of KYNA are of particular interest. These characteristics might allow KYNA to act as a "double-edged sword." The metabolite contributes to both the resolution of inflammation and the establishment of an immunosuppressive environment, which, for instance, allows for tumor immune escape. Our review provides a comprehensive update of the significant biological functions of KYNA and focuses on its immunomodulatory properties by signaling
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.