Endogenous kynurenines as targets for drug discovery and development
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Updated: Sep 28, 2026

Simultaneous Quantification of Selected Kynurenines Analyzed by Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry in Medium Collected from Cancer Cell Cultures
Published on: May 9, 2020
Trevor W Stone1, L Gail Darlington
1Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, West Medical Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK. T.W.Stone@bio.gla.ac.uk
Abstract:
The kynurenine pathway is the main pathway for tryptophan metabolism. It generates compounds that can modulate activity at glutamate receptors and possibly nicotinic receptors, in addition to some as-yet-unidentified sites. The pathway is in a unique position to regulate other aspects of the metabolism of tryptophan to neuroactive compounds, and also seems to be a key factor in the communication between the nervous and immune systems. It also has potentially important roles in the regulation of cell proliferation and tissue function in the periphery. As a result, the pathway presents a multitude of potential sites for drug discovery in neuroscience, oncology and visceral pathology.
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