Abstract
Increased plasma free tryptophan levels have been reported in cancer patients and causally associated to the presence of anorexia. The pathogenesis of this occurence is yet to be completely understood. Kynurenine is a metabolite of tryptophan, and has been reported increased in plasma during tumor growth. Because of the similarities between tryptophan and kynurenine we speculate that their rise in the presence of a tumor might be causally related. To test this hypothesis, we performed a series of in-vitro studies, showing that kynurenine supplementation reduces the amount of tryptophan bound to albumin, and thus, by competition, increases free tryptophan levels. The likely clinical consequences of these findings are discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Brown, R.R., Borden, E.C., Sondel, P.M., and Lee, C.M., 1987, Effects of interferons and interleukin-2 on tryptophan metabolism in humans, in: Progress in Tryptophan and Serotonin Research (D.A. Bender, M.H. Joseph, W. Kochen, and H. Steinhart, eds), pp. 19–26, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin.
Cangiano, C., Laviano, A., Muscaritoli, M., Meguid, M.M., Cascino, A., and Rossi Fanelli, F., 1996, Cancer anorexia: new pathogenic and therapeutic insights, Nutrition 12:S48–S51.
Gailani, S., Murphy, G., Kenny, G., Nussbaum, A., and Silvernail, P., 1973, Studies on tryptophan metabolism in patients with bladder cancer, Cancer Res 33:1071–1077.
Gailani, S., Ezdinli, E., Nussbaum, A., Silvernail, P., and Elias, E.G., 1974, Studies on tryptophan metabolism in patients with lymphoma, Cancer Res 34:1664–1667.
Rossi Fanelli, F. and Cangiano, C., 1991, Increased availability of tryptophan in brain as a common pathogenic mechanism for anorexia associated with different diseases, Nutrition 7:364–367.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1999 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Cangiano, C. et al. (1999). Effect of Kynurenine on Tryptophan-Albumin Binding in Human Plasma. In: Huether, G., Kochen, W., Simat, T.J., Steinhart, H. (eds) Tryptophan, Serotonin, and Melatonin. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 467. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4709-9_35
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4709-9_35
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-7133-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-4709-9
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive