The action of 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid and other tryptophan metabolites on stimulated human lymphocytes.

Short term cultures of phytohemagglutinin stimulated lymphocytes were used to study effects of tryptophan metabolites of the kynurenine pathway at the cellular level. Only the metabolites 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid and 3-hydroxykynurenine demonstrated an effect when (3H) thymidine was used to monitor the response. Morphological examination of the cultures did not clearly reveal an effect. Because the adenosine triphosphate level was also decreased upon the addition of 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid the possibility is considered that the mechanism of action of the metabolite on cultured lymphocytes can be explained by a suppression of the oxydative phosphorylation.