Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common mental illness characterized by persistent low mood and anhedonia, normally accompanied with cognitive impairment. Due to its rising incidence and high rate of recurrence and disability, MDD poses a substantial threat to patients’ physical and mental health, as well as a significant economic cost to society. However, the etiology and pathogenesis of MDD are still unclear. Chronic inflammation may cause indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) to become overactive throughout the body and brain, resulting in excess quinolinic acid (QUIN) and less kynuric acid (KYNA) in the brain. QUIN’s neurotoxicity damages glial cells and neurons, accelerates neuronal apoptosis, hinders neuroplasticity, and causes depression due to inflammation. Therefore, abnormal TRP-KYN metabolic pathway and its metabolites have been closely related to MDD, suggesting changes in the TRP-KYN metabolic pathway might contribute to MDD. In addition, targeting TRP-KYN with traditional Chinese medicine showed promising treatment effects for MDD. This review summarizes the recent studies on the TRP-KYN metabolic pathway and its metabolites in depression, which would provide a theoretical basis for exploring the etiology and pathogenesis of depression.
Funding source: Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation
Award Identifier / Grant number: 2019JJ40250
Funding source: Outstanding Youth Project of Hunan Education Department
Award Identifier / Grant number: 18B262
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Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.
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Research funding: This work was supported by grants from Hunan Provincial Natural Science Foundation (2019JJ40250) and Outstanding Youth Project of Hunan Education Department (18B262).
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Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare that they have no Conflict of interest.
References
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