ArticleScientific reports2023
LC-MS/MS-based quantification of tryptophan, kynurenine, and kynurenic acid in human placental, fetal membranes, and umbilical cord samples.
Article in Scientific reports, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- Receptor-Mitochondria Crosstalk in the Kynurenine Metabolic Pathway: Integrating Metabolomics and Clinical Mass Spectrometry.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Metabolic reprogramming in placenta and umbilical cord serum of polycystic ovary syndrome pregnancies: testosterone-associated alterations and interaction with obesity.Human reproduction open · 2026Article
- Altered milk tryptophan and tryptophan metabolites in women living with HIV.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Cytokine and metabolite networks shape T cell residency and functionality at the term human maternal-fetal interface.Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) · 2025Article
- Molecular mechanisms and therapeutic significance of Tryptophan Metabolism and signaling in cancer.Molecular cancer · 2024Review
- Interplay between gut microbiota and tryptophan metabolism in type 2 diabetic mice treated with metformin.Microbiology spectrum · 2024Article
- Does the kynurenine pathway play a pathogenic role in autism spectrum disorder?Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2024Article
- The Biology and Biochemistry of Kynurenic Acid, a Potential Nutraceutical with Multiple Biological Effects.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- 4-Vinylpyridine copolymers for improved LC-MS tryptophan and kynurenine determination in human serum.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Fast Targeted Metabolomics for Analyzing Metabolic Diversity of Bacterial Indole Derivatives in ME/CFS Gut Microbiome.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- A Novel RP-UHPLC-MS/MS Approach for the Determination of Tryptophan Metabolites Derivatized with 2-Bromo-4'-Nitroacetophenone.Biomedicines · 2024Article
- Fetal Sex as Moderating Factor for the Relationship Between Maternal Childhood Trauma and Salivary Kynurenic Acid and Tryptophan in Pregnancy: A Pilot Study.International journal of tryptophan research : IJTR · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Tryptophan breakdown metabolites formed along the kynurenine pathway play a significant role in pregnancy and fetal development. To understand their involvement, it is crucial to quantify the levels of tryptophan (TRP), kynurenine (KYN), and kynurenic acid (KYNA) in relevant biological samples such as the placenta, fetal membranes, and umbilical cord. This study used liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to determine TRP, KYN, and KYNA levels. The LC-MS/MS method was optimized for high sensitivity and specificity, demonstrating good reproducibility with a precision of < 10% CV and an accuracy of 85-115%. The lower limit of quantification for both TRP and KYN was 0.5 µg/ml, while for KYNA, it was 0.5 ng/mL. The method exhibited linearity within the examined range of concentrations in the homogenate, ranging from 0.5 to 30 µg/ml for TRP and KYN and from 0.5 to 25 ng/ml for KYNA. Using this method, we found significant differences in the concentrations of these substances in investigated maternal-fetal compartments. Placenta samples exhibited higher KYN and lower KYNA concentrations than the umbilical cord and fetal membrane, indicating a potentially important role for kynurenines in late pregnancy. Collectively, this finding may facilitate further research and provide inside into the involvement of the kynurenine pathway of TRP metabolism in fetal development.
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