Role of Kynurenines in the Central and Peripherial Nervous Systems
Abstract
Kynurenine (KYN) is an intermediate in the pathway of the metabolism of tryptophan to nicotinic acid. KYN is formed in the mammalian brain (40%) and is taken up from the periphery (60%), indicating that it can be transported across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). In the brain, KYN can be converted to two other components of the pathway: the neurotoxic quinolinic acid (QUIN) and the neuroprotective kynurenic acid (KYNA). QUIN is probably the most widely studied metabolite of KYN, because it may cause excitotoxic neuronal cell loss and convulsions by interacting with the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor complex, a type of glutamate receptor. KYNA is another metabolite of KYN; its synthesis is catalysed by KYN aminotransferases. This is the only known endogenous NMDA receptor inhibitor, which can act at the glycine site on the receptor complex. Furthermore, KYNA non-competitively inhibits alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine presynaptic receptors (nAChRs), inhibiting glutamate release, and regulates the expression of alpha4beta2 nAChR. It is well-known that the activation of excitatory amino acid (EAA) receptors can play a role in a number of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, stroke and epilepsy. Various studies have been made of whether the EAA receptor antagonist KYNA can exert a therapeutic effect in these neurological disorders. It has been established that KYNA has only a very limited ability to cross the BBB. Other KYNA derivatives have been synthesised (e.g. glucosamine-KYNA, 4-chloro-KYNA and 7-chloro-KYNA), which are well transported across the BBB and act on the glutamate receptors. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that probenecid, a known inhibitor of the transport of organic acids (e.g. KYNA), increases the cerebral concentration of KYNA. There is another new perspective to the maintenance of a high level of KYNA in the brain: the use of enzyme inhibitors, which can block the synthesis of the neurotoxic QUIN. These are some of the most promising possibilities as novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, in which the hyperactivation of amino acid receptors could be involved. The presence and importance of KYN derivatives in the periphery are also discussed in the light of recent publications.
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Peripheral kynurenic acid mostly does not cross the blood-brain barrier.
“While peripheral kynurenic acid mostly does not cross the blood-brain-barrier (Nemeth et al., 2005)”
From Tryptophan-kynurenine and lipid related metabolites as blood biomarkers for first-episode drug-naïve patients with major depressive disorder: An exploratory pilot case-control study (2018) · cites this paper as Nemeth et al., 2005
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“KYNA blocks the glycine co-agonist site of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor (Németh et al., 2005) and affects α-amino-3-hydroxy-5methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptors — either facil-”
A bloodspot-based diagnostic test for fibromyalgia syndrome and related disorders
Hackshaw, K. V., RODRIGUEZ‐SAONA, L. E., Plans, M., Bell, L. N., & Buffington, C. A. T. (2013) · The Analyst · doi:10.1039/c3an36615d · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Fagotti, J., Targa, A., Rodrigues, L. S., Noseda, A. C. D., Dorieux, F. W. C., Scarante, F. F., Ilkiw, J. L., Louzada, F. M., Chowdhury, N. R., van der Veen, D. R., et al. (2019) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-018-37657-6 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Wang, L., Yang, P., Yang, C., Yang, D. H., Wu, X., Cao, T., Zeng, C., Chen, Q., Zhang, S., Zhu, Z., et al. (2022) · European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience · doi:10.1007/s00406-022-01406-8 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
“KYN could be catabolized into two active metabolites: the neuroprotective KYNA and neurotoxicity QA [11].”
BackgroundInfluentialSomatic Drugs for Psychiatric Diseases: Aspirin or Simvastatin for Depression?
Rahola, J. G. (2012) · Current Neuropharmacology · doi:10.2174/157015912800604533 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
“Quinolinic acid causes a dose-dependent decrease in cholinergic circuits and may empty dopamine, choline, GABA and encephalin deposits [129-133].”
BackgroundMitsuhashi, S., Fukushima, T., Tomiya, M., et al. (2006) · Analytica Chimica Acta · doi:10.1016/j.aca.2006.11.040 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Adefegha, S. A., Oboh, G., Molehin, O. R., Saliu, J. A., Athayde, M. L., & Boligon, A. A. (2015) · Journal of Food Biochemistry · doi:10.1111/jfbc.12200 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Modifications on the carboxylic function of kynurenic acid
Fülöp, F., Szatmári, I., Toldi, J., et al. (2011) · Journal of Neural Transmission · doi:10.1007/s00702-011-0721-7 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
“, together with probenecid (200 mg/kg), which is effective in blocking NMDA receptors (Nemeth et al. 2005), 2 was similarly or even more effective in reducing the amplitude of the population spikes (Nagy et al.”
BackgroundSelf-citationde Souza, F. R. S., Fontes-Dantas, F. L., da Silva, T. A., et al. (2011) · BMC Medical Genetics · doi:10.1186/1471-2350-12-51 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
“The KYN pathway is also induced in other diseases associated with inflammation-induced brain injury, such as Huntington’s disease [21], schizophrenia [22], multiple sclerosis AIDS-dementia complex and cerebral malaria [23,24].”
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Anderson, G. (2023) · Frontiers in Bioscience-Landmark · doi:10.31083/j.fbl2812355 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
“Given that 60% of brain kynurenine is derived from the periphery [112], systemic processes that drive large kynurenine increases, such as from white adipocyte (WAT) in obesity [113], can drive significant changes in the CNS relevant to dementia pathophysiology, including depriving tryptophan for…”
BackgroundKynurenines and Neurofilament Light Chain in Multiple Sclerosis
Pukoli, D., Polyák, H., Rajda, C., & Vécsei, L. (2021) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2021.658202 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
“…IDO, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase; KAT, kynurenine aminotransferase; KMO, kynurenine 3-monooxygenase; MAO, monoamine oxidase; NAD+, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide; QPRT, quinolinate phosphoribosyltransferase; TDO, tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase. stress (Németh et al., 2005).”
Self-citationKynurenine pathway and its role in neurologic, psychiatric, and inflammatory bowel diseases
Sheibani, M., Shayan, M., Khalilzadeh, M., Soltani, Z. E., Jafari‐Sabet, M., Ghasemi, M., & Dehpour, A. R. (2023) · Molecular Biology Reports · doi:10.1007/s11033-023-08859-7 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Baalbaki, N., Blankestijn, J. M., Abdel‐Aziz, M. I., Backer, J. D., Bazdar, S., Beekers, I., Beijers, R. J. H. C. G., van den Bergh, J. P., Bloemsma, L. D., Bogaard, H. J., et al. (2023) · Journal of Personalized Medicine · doi:10.3390/jpm13071060 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
“Metabolites of kynurenine may cause neurotoxicity which can lead to fatigue complaints in long COVID patients [21].”
BackgroundMajláth, Z., Toldi, J., & Vécsei, L. (2013) · Journal of Neural Transmission · doi:10.1007/s00702-013-1135-5 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
“The metabolites produced in this metabolic cascade, collectively termed kynurenines, are involved in a number of physiological processes, including neurotransmission and immune responses (Nemeth et al. 2005; Vecsei et al. 2013).”
BackgroundSelf-citationSynthesis of New C-3 Substituted Kynurenic Acid Derivatives
Lőrinczi, B., Csámpai, A., Fülöp, F., et al. (2020) · Molecules · doi:10.3390/molecules25040937 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
“KYNA (kynurenic acid) is an endogenous product of the tryptophan (TRP) metabolism, a pathway known to be responsible for the production of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and NAD phosphate (NADP+) [1,2].”
BackgroundDuan, K., Wang, S., Yin, J., Li, X., Ma, J., Huang, Z., Zhou, Y., Yu, H., Yang, M., Zhou, H., et al. (2018) · Archives of Women s Mental Health · doi:10.1007/s00737-018-0898-y · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Kynurenic acid selectively reduces heart rate in spontaneously hypertensive rats
Bądzyńska, B., Zakrocka, I. N., Turski, W. A., et al. (2019) · Naunyn-Schmiedeberg s Archives of Pharmacology · doi:10.1007/s00210-019-01771-7 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
“Kynurenic acid (KYNA), a tryptophan metabolite, is formed from L-kynurenine (KYN) by kynurenine aminotransferases (KATs) (Németh et al. 2005).”
BackgroundZádori, D., Ilisz, I., Klivènyi, P., et al. (2011) · Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis · doi:10.1016/j.jpba.2011.02.014 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Self-citationRózsa, É., Robotka, H., Nagy, D., et al. (2008) · Brain Research Bulletin · doi:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2007.12.001 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Self-citationGuo, S., Vécsei, L., & Ashina, M. (2011) · Cephalalgia · doi:10.1177/0333102411404717 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
“A growing body of evidence indicates that KYNA has a mediatory and modulatory role for glutamate and its receptors in peripheral and central pain processing (25,37,47,48).”
BackgroundSelf-citationDetermination of rat brain kynurenic acid by column‐switching HPLC with fluorescence detection
Fukushima, T., Mitsuhashi, S., Tomiya, M., et al. (2007) · Biomedical Chromatography · doi:10.1002/bmc.786 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Baalbaki, N., Slob, E. M. A., Kazer, S. W., Abdel‐Aziz, M. I., Bogaard, H. J., Golebski, K., & der Zee, A. H. M. (2025) · Allergy · doi:10.1111/all.16526 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
“The expression of IDO2 is moreover linked to decreased levels of tryptophan and increased kynurenine quantities, which have been proposed to cause fatigue symptoms [48].”
Chojnacki, C. J., Popławski, T., Błońska, A., Konrad, P., Chojnacki, J., & Błasiak, J. (2023) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu15081837 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
The Interactions Between Kynurenine, Folate, Methionine and Pteridine Pathways in Obesity.
Engin, A., & Engin, A. (2017) · Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-48382-5_22 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Kocki, T., Urbańska, E. M., Kocki, J., Kloc, R., Kocka, K., Olajossy, M., & Owe‐Larsson, B. (2018) · Pharmacological Reports · doi:10.1016/j.pharep.2018.01.004 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Experimental diabetes mellitus type 1 increases hippocampal content of kynurenic acid in rats
Chmiel-Perzyńska, I., Perzyński, A., & Urbańska, E. M. (2014) · Pharmacological Reports · doi:10.1016/j.pharep.2014.07.014 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Memantine increases brain production of kynurenic acid via protein kinase A-dependent mechanism
Kloc, R., Luchowska, E., Wielosz, M., Owe‐Larsson, B., & Urbańska, E. M. (2008) · Neuroscience Letters · doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2008.02.027 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
- Authors
- Nemeth, H., Toldi, J., & Vecsei, L.
- Venue
- Current Neurovascular Research
- Publisher
- Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
- Published
- 2005-07-01
- Volume
- 2
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 249-260
- ISSN
- 1567-2026 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2111737222
- Cited by
- 169
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 3.32
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Current Neurovascular Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Biological Psychiatry › Tryptophan and brain disorders
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biochemistry › Amino Acid Enzymes and Metabolism
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Keywords
- kynurenine, tryptophan metabolism, kynurenic acid, quinolinic acid, NMDA receptor, alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, blood-brain barrier, excitotoxicity, neurodegenerative diseases, probenecid, kynurenine derivatives, glutamate receptors, neuroprotection, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Central Nervous System, Humans, Kynurenine, Nervous System Diseases, Peripheral Nervous System
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