Publications by authors named "Freek J. H. Sorgdrager"
Inflammation aims to restore tissue homeostasis after injury or infection. Age-related decline of tissue homeostasis causes a physiological low-grade chronic inflammatory phenotype known as inflammaging that is involved in many age-related diseases. Activation of tryptophan (Trp) metabolism along the kynurenine (Kyn) pathway prevents hyperinflammation and induces long-term immune tolerance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe kynurenine (Kyn) pathway, which regulates neuroinflammation and N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor activation, is implicated in Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Age-related changes in Kyn metabolism and altered cerebral Kyn uptake along large neutral amino acid transporters, could contribute to these diseases. To gain further insight into the role and prognostic potential of the Kyn pathway in PD and AD, we investigated systemic and cerebral Kyn metabolite production and estimations of their transporter-mediated uptake in the brain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: Hydrocortisone (HC) treatment influences health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in secondary adrenal insufficiency (AI). Glucocorticoids regulate tryptophan metabolism through the kynurenine pathway, which modulates mood and energy homeostasis.
Objective: This study investigated whether tryptophan metabolism mediated the effect of HC dose on HRQOL in patients with secondary AI.
Article Synopsis
- Developing selective drugs that target disease-causing cells, like cancer or parasites, is challenging due to the similarities in proteins between organisms.
- Researchers identified specific criteria for creating drugs that can effectively target parasites while sparing healthy cells, focusing on differences in biochemical networks.
- After combining computational methods with experiments, they found that glucose transport and certain enzymes in the parasite Trypanosoma brucei are promising targets, successfully killing the parasite without harming human blood cells or other healthy tissues.