CHEMISTRY AND NEUROCHEMISTRY OF THE KYNURENINE PATHWAY OF TRYPTOPHAN-METABOLISM

The kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism is currently of consid erable interest due to biological activities of various kynurenine met abolites. The most important appears to be quinolinic acid, which has been implicated as an etiological factor in a range of neurodegenerati ve diseases. The enzymes on the pathway are also mechanistically inter esting and have some unusual features. This review describes the pathw ay, discusses the mechanisms of the enzymes involved and examines the strategies that have been employed for inhibitor design.