Takada Akikazu, Shimizu Fumiko, Takao Tetsuya
NPO "International Projects on Food and Health".
Brain Nerve. 2018 Sep;70(9):1025-1031. doi: 10.11477/mf.1416201123.
There are two major pathways in tryptophan metabolism. The serotonin pathway mediates mood, anxiety, memory, cognition, and is impaired in depression. The kynurenine pathways are involved in immunity, inflammation, muscle movement, and mental health. We investigated changes in tryptophan metabolites in plasma from depressed patients. Plasma levels of serotonin were very low or undetectable in patients with monopolar depression. 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA)/tryptophan ratios or kynurenine/tryptophan ratios were not different between healthy controls and depressive patients, indicating rapid degradation of serotonin into 5-HIAA. However, there were no significant changes in kynurenine levels in depressed patients. It is important to examine the roles of tryptophan metabolites in monopolar and bipolar depression since both require different treatments.
色氨酸代谢有两条主要途径。血清素途径调节情绪、焦虑、记忆、认知，且在抑郁症中受损。犬尿氨酸途径参与免疫、炎症、肌肉运动和心理健康。我们研究了抑郁症患者血浆中色氨酸代谢产物的变化。单相抑郁症患者血浆中的血清素水平非常低或无法检测到。健康对照组和抑郁症患者之间的5-羟吲哚乙酸（5-HIAA）/色氨酸比值或犬尿氨酸/色氨酸比值没有差异，这表明血清素迅速降解为5-HIAA。然而，抑郁症患者的犬尿氨酸水平没有显著变化。研究色氨酸代谢产物在单相和双相抑郁症中的作用很重要，因为两者需要不同的治疗方法。
