Immune regulation through tryptophan metabolism

Experimental & Molecular Medicine, Published online: 03 July 2023; doi:10.1038/s12276-023-01028-7The dietary essential amino acid tryptophan is converted by cellular metabolism into breakdown products that play regulatory roles in health and disease, some involving their effects on a gene control protein called the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). Su-Kil Seo at Inje University, Busan, and Byungsuk Kwon at the University of Ulsan, in South Korea, review recent insights into the role of several catabolites (breakdown products) of tryptophan in regulating the AHR. The effects of aberrant tryptophan metabolism on the AHR can promote inflammatory diseases and cancers. In addition to the body’s own metabolism, tryptophan catabolites are produced by the body’s natural microbes. Many of the effects in health and disease involve regulation of the immune system. Drugs able to interact with the AHR protein could be potential treatments for a variety of inflammatory diseases.
Source: Experimental and Molecular Medicine - Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Source Type: research