The tryptophan/kynurenine pathway, systemic inflammation, and long-term outcome after kidney transplantation

A new publication has been released from the group of Prof. Stephan Bakker, Internal medicine, in collaboration with Laboratory Medicine, UMCG.  

Tryptophan is metabolized along the kynurenine pathway, initially to kynurenine, and subsequently to cytotoxic 3-hydroxykynurenine. There is increasing interest in this pathway because of its proinflammatory nature, and drugs interfering in it have received increasing attention.

In this paper, de Vries et al.  show that activation of the tryptophan/kynurenine pathway is associated with adverse long-term outcome after kidney transplantation in a large cohort of 561 stable renal transplant recipients. This is reflected particularly by the strong associations of 3-hydroxykynurenine with long-term graft failure and mortality. Therefore, serum 3-hydroxykynurenine may be an interesting biomarker and target for the evaluation of drugs interfering in the tryptophan/kynurenine pathway.

Tryptophan, kynurenine, and 3-hydroxykynurenine in serum and urine were measured using LC-MS/MS. The assays, which are validated for patient care, are available on the BiomarkerBay database.

Results and full publication are available in: "The tryptophan/kynurenine pathway, systemic inflammation, and long-term outcome after kidney transplantation (Laura V. de Vries et al., American Journal of Physiology - Renal Physiology Published 2 August 2017 Vol. 313 no. 2, F475-F486 ). The link is here. 

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