A Role for Xanthurenic Acid in the Control of Brain Dopaminergic Activity.

Xanthurenic acid (XA) is a metabolite of the kynurenine pathway (KP) synthetized in the brain from dietary or microbial tryptophan that crosses the blood-brain barrier through carrier-mediated transport. XA and kynurenic acid (KYNA) are two structurally related compounds of KP occurring at micromolar concentrations in the CNS and suspected to modulate some pathophysiological mechanisms of neuropsychiatric and/or neurodegenerative diseases. Particularly, various data including XA cerebral distribution (from 1 µM in olfactory bulbs and cerebellum to 0.

Xanthurenic acid binds to neuronal G-protein-coupled receptors that secondarily activate cationic channels in the cell line NCB-20.

Xanthurenic acid (XA) is a metabolite of the tryptophan oxidation pathway through kynurenine and 3-hydroxykynurenine. XA was until now considered as a detoxification compound and dead-end product reducing accumulation of reactive radical species. Apart from a specific role for XA in the signaling cascade resulting in gamete maturation in mosquitoes, nothing was known about its functions in other species including mammals.