Kynurenic Acid: Unveiling Its Impact on the Brain’s Neurotransmission and Neurological Disorders

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cell Signaling".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 1109

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Maryland Psychiatric Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Interests: kynurenine pathway metabolism; cognition; neurodegenerative disorders; schizophrenia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Interests: psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders; cognition; kynurenine pathway; neurodevelopment; cannabinoids

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Neurobiochemistry and Behavior Laboratory, National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery “Manuel Velasco Suárez”, Mexico City 14269, Mexico
Interests: kynurenines and bioenergetic; tryptophan catabolism modulation; psychiatric diseases; cognition; neurodegeneration; aging
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Kynurenic acid (KYNA), an endogenous neuromodulatory molecule derived from tryptophan catabolism, is increasingly understood to play major roles in CNS functions. KYNA can act on multiple biological targets, such as NMDA, α7nACh, GPR35 and aryl hydrocarbon receptors. In addition, recent novel findings suggest that KYNA could also modulate brain function by exerting antioxidant properties, interacting with the cannabinoid system and modulating gut microbiota. This has advanced our knowledge on the implications of KYNA in CNS functions, either under physiological or pathological conditions. Nevertheless, much remains to be explored regarding the role of KYNA during the normal aging process.

This Special Issue of Cells, ‘Kynurenic Acid: Unveiling Its Impact on the Brain's Neurotransmission and Neurological Disorders’, aims to collate recent preclinical and clinical studies on the relevance of KYNA in CNS, with special emphasis on the consequences of alterations in KYNA levels on neurotransmission and the importance of maintaining its physiological levels in neurological pathologies. This could shed light on the possible role of KYNA as a pathological biomarker and/or a therapeutic target for neurological disorder treatment/prevention. We invite you to submit either original research articles or reviews to this Special Issue.

Dr. Korrapati V. Sathyasaikumar
Dr. Sarah Beggiato
Dr. Verónica Pérez de la Cruz
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cells is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • kynurenic acid
  • cognition
  • aging
  • neuromodulation
  • neurodegeneration
  • neurodevelopment
  • neuroinflammation
  • tryptophan catabolism

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 2894 KiB  
Article
Memantine and the Kynurenine Pathway in the Brain: Selective Targeting of Kynurenic Acid in the Rat Cerebral Cortex
by Renata Kloc and Ewa M. Urbanska
Cells 2024, 13(17), 1424; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells13171424 - 26 Aug 2024
Viewed by 755
Abstract
Cytoprotective and neurotoxic kynurenines formed along the kynurenine pathway (KP) were identified as possible therapeutic targets in various neuropsychiatric conditions. Memantine, an adamantane derivative modulating dopamine-, noradrenaline-, serotonin-, and glutamate-mediated neurotransmission is currently considered for therapy in dementia, psychiatric disorders, migraines, or ischemia. [...] Read more.
Cytoprotective and neurotoxic kynurenines formed along the kynurenine pathway (KP) were identified as possible therapeutic targets in various neuropsychiatric conditions. Memantine, an adamantane derivative modulating dopamine-, noradrenaline-, serotonin-, and glutamate-mediated neurotransmission is currently considered for therapy in dementia, psychiatric disorders, migraines, or ischemia. Previous studies have revealed that memantine potently stimulates the synthesis of neuroprotective kynurenic acid (KYNA) in vitro via a protein kinase A-dependent mechanism. Here, the effects of acute and prolonged administration of memantine on brain kynurenines and the functional changes in the cerebral KP were assessed in rats using chromatographic and enzymatic methods. Five-day but not single treatment with memantine selectively activated the cortical KP towards neuroprotective KYNA. KYNA increases were accompanied by a moderate decrease in cortical tryptophan (TRP) and L-kynurenine (L-KYN) concentrations without changes in 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HK) levels. Enzymatic studies revealed that the activity of cortical KYNA biosynthetic enzymes ex vivo was stimulated after prolonged administration of memantine. As memantine does not directly stimulate the activity of KATs’ proteins, the higher activity of KATs most probably results from the increased expression of the respective genes. Noteworthy, the concentrations of KYNA, 3-HK, TRP, and L-KYN in the striatum, hippocampus, and cerebellum were not affected. Selective cortical increase in KYNA seems to represent one of the mechanisms underlying the clinical efficacy of memantine. It is tempting to hypothesize that a combination of memantine and drugs could strongly boost cortical KYNA and provide a more effective option for treating cortical pathologies at early stages. Further studies should evaluate this issue in experimental animal models and under clinical scenarios. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop