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Kynurenic acid synthesis by human glioma
A Vezzani1, J B Gramsbergen, P Versari
1Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, Milano, Italy.
Journal of the Neurological Sciences
|October 1, 1990
Abstract:
Biopsy material from human gliomas obtained during neurosurgery was used to investigate whether pathological human brain tissue is capable of producing kynurenic acid (KYNA), a natural brain metabolite which can act as an antagonist at excitatory amino acid receptors. Upon in vitro exposure to 40, 200 or 1000 microM L-kynurenine, the immediate bioprecursor of KYNA, freshly prepared tissue slices in a dose-dependent fashion produced KYNA which was detected in the incubation medium. De novo synthesized KYNA was identified by several chromatographic procedures. Astrocytomas produced significantly more KYNA than glioblastomas.