Open AccessTryptophan-kynurenine pathway as a novel link between gut microbiota and schizophrenia: A review
Author(s) -
Yaping Wang,
Xiuxia Yuan,
Yulin Kang,
Xueqin Song
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
tropical journal of pharmaceutical research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.209
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1596-5996
pISSN - 1596-9827
DOI - 10.4314/tjpr.v18i4.30
Subject(s) - kynurenine pathway , kynurenine , oxidative stress , immune system , biology , catabolism , metabolite , oxidative phosphorylation , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , metabolic pathway , tryptophan , biochemistry , immunology , medicine , metabolism , amino acid , psychiatry
Gut microbiota and its metabolite tryptophan play an important role in regulating neurotransmission, immune homeostasis and oxidative stress which are critical for brain development. The kynurenine pathway is the main route of tryptophan catabolism. Kynurenine metabolites regulate many biological processes including host-microbiome communication, immunity and oxidative stress, as well as neuronal excitability. The accumulation of metabolites produced by kynurenine pathway in brain results in the activation of the immune system (increase in the levels of inflammatory factors) and oxidative stress (production of reactive oxygen species, ROS), which are associated with mental disorders, for example schizophrenia. Thus, it was hypothesized that perturbations in kynurenine pathway could cause activation of immunity, and that oxidative stress may be involved in the etiology of schizophrenia. The present work is a review of the latest studies on the possible role of kynurenine pathway in schizophrenia, and mechanism(s) involved.