ArticleFrontiers in psychiatry2024
Serum neuroactive metabolites of the tryptophan pathway in patients with acute phase of affective disorders.
Article in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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9 citing papers in PubMed.
- Behavioral, antioxidant, and kynurenine pathway modulation of a specific strain of Ligilactobacillus salivarius in a preclinical model of depression.European journal of nutrition · 2026Article
- Interferon-Driven Tryptophan Metabolism Links Inflammation and Mental Health in Juvenile Dermatomyositis.Inflammation · 2026Article
- The kynurenine pathway in depression and schizophrenia: convergent signals, divergent states, and clinical signatures.EXCLI journal · 2026Review
- Article
- Can the gut-brain axis provide insight into psilocybin's therapeutic value in reducing stress?Neurobiology of stress · 2025Review
- HIV-associated depression: a translational framework targeting neuroimmune inflammation and psychosocial stress modulation.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
- Prenatal Poly I:C exposure affects tryptophan-kynurenine metabolism associated with intestinal microbiome in female juvenile rats.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Article
- Skin-brain dialogue in auto-inflammatory diseases: A new route to biomarkers?Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2024Article
- Treatment-resistant depression: molecular mechanisms and management.Molecular biomedicine · 2024Review
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15 authors.
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Abstract
Background: Many studies showed disrupted tryptophan metabolism in patients with affective disorders. The aims of this study were to explore the differences in the metabolites of tryptophan pathway (TP) and the relationships between TP metabolites and clinical symptoms, therapeutic effect in patients with bipolar disorder with acute manic episode (BD-M), depressive episode (BD-D) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods: Patients with BD-M (n=52) and BD-D (n=39), MDD (n=48) and healthy controls (HCs, n=49) were enrolled. The serum neuroactive metabolites levels of the TP were measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Hamilton Depression Scale-17 item (HAMD-17) and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) were used to evaluate depressive and manic symptoms at baseline and after 8 weeks of antidepressants, mood stabilizers, some also received antipsychotic medication. Results: The levels of tryptophan (TRP) and kynurenic acid (KYNA) were significantly lower and the ratios of tryptophan/kynurenine (TRP/KYN), 5-hydroxytryptamine/tryptophan (5-HT/TRP), quinolinic acid/kynurenic acid (QUIN/KYNA) were higher in BD-M, BD-D, MDD vs. HC. The levels of QUIN and the ratios of QUIN/KYNA were higher in BD-M than in BD-D, MDD, and HCs. The 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) levels of patients with MDD were significantly higher than those in BD-M and BD-D. Binary logistic regression analysis showed the lower peripheral KYNA, the higher the QUIN level, and the higher the risk of BD-M; the lower peripheral KYNA and the higher KYN/TRP and 5-HT/TRP, the higher the risk of BD-D; and the lower the peripheral KYNA level and the higher the KYN/TRP and 5-HT/TRP, the higher the risk of MDD. Correlation analysis, showing a significant association between tryptophan metabolites and improvement of clinical symptoms, especially depression symptoms. Conclusions: Patients with affective disorders had abnormal tryptophan metabolism, which involved in 5-HT and kynurenine pathway (KP) sub-pathway. Tryptophan metabolites might be potential biomarkers for affective disorders and some metabolites have been associated with remission of depressive symptoms.
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