Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Jun 4;10(11):2484.
doi: 10.3390/jcm10112484.

Crosstalk between Tryptophan Metabolism via Kynurenine Pathway and Carbohydrate Metabolism in the Context of Cardio-Metabolic Risk-Review

Małgorzata Kiluk  1 , Janina Lewkowicz  1 , Dariusz Pawlak  2 , Anna Tankiewicz-Kwedlo  3
Affiliations
Review

Crosstalk between Tryptophan Metabolism via Kynurenine Pathway and Carbohydrate Metabolism in the Context of Cardio-Metabolic Risk-Review

Małgorzata Kiluk et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

Scientific interest in tryptophan metabolism via the kynurenine pathway (KP) has increased in the last decades. Describing its metabolites helped to increase their roles in many diseases and disturbances, many of a pro-inflammatory nature. It has become increasingly evident that KP can be considered an important part of emerging mediators of diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome (MS), mostly stemming from chronic systemic low-grade inflammation resulting in the aggravation of cardiovascular complications. An electronic literature search of PubMed and Embase up to March 2021 was performed for papers reporting the effects of tryptophan (TRP), kynurenine (KYN), kynurenic acid (KYNA), xanthurenic acid (XA), anthranilic acid (AA), and quinolinic acid (QA), focusing on their roles in carbohydrate metabolism and the cardiovascular system. In this review, we discussed the progress in tryptophan metabolism via KP research, focusing particular attention on the roles in carbohydrate metabolism and its complications in the cardiovascular system. We examined the association between KP and diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2D), diabetes mellitus type 1 (T1D), and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). We concluded that tryptophan metabolism via KP serves as a potential diagnostic tool in assessing cardiometabolic risk for patients with T2D.

Keywords: cardiovascular system; diabetes mellitus type 1; diabetes mellitus type 2; kynurenine pathway; review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic illustration of the kynurenine pathway (KP), including its serum alteration in type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Dysregulation of KP in T1D was marked in red. Alterations of TRP catabolism along KP in T2D were marked in dark blue. Alterations of TRP catabolism along KP in T2D and T1D were marked in both red and dark blue. KYNase: kynureninase; 3-HAO: 3-Hydroxyanthranilic Acid Dioxygenase; P5P: Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The biological behaviors of kynurenine pathway metabolites and their contribution in metabolic syndrome and T2D. KP appears to be one of the important factors regulating the mechanisms involved in the development of T2DM in the pre-diabetic state.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The involvement of kynurenine pathway metabolites in the pathogenesis of heart failure and coronary artery disease.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Badawy A.A. Kynurenine pathway and human systems. Exp. Gerontol. 2020;129:110770. doi: 10.1016/j.exger.2019.110770. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Badawy A.A. Kynurenine Pathway of Tryptophan Metabolism: Regulatory and Functional Aspects. Int. J. Tryptophan Res. 2017;10:1178646917691938. doi: 10.1177/1178646917691938. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sas K., Szabo E., Vecsei L. Mitochondria, Oxidative Stress and the Kynurenine System, with a Focus on Ageing and Neuroprotection. Molecules. 2018;23:191. doi: 10.3390/molecules23010191. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kerner W., Bruckel J., German Diabetes A. Definition, classification and diagnosis of diabetes mellitus. Exp. Clin. Endocrinol. Diabetes. 2014;122:384–386. doi: 10.1055/s-0034-1366278. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Saeedi P., Petersohn I., Salpea P., Malanda B., Karuranga S., Unwin N., Colagiuri S., Guariguata L., Motala A.A., Ogurtsova K., et al. Global and regional diabetes prevalence estimates for 2019 and projections for 2030 and 2045: Results from the International Diabetes Federation Diabetes Atlas, 9th edition. Diabetes Res. Clin. Pract. 2019;157:107843. doi: 10.1016/j.diabres.2019.107843. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources