title: Decreased serum tryptophan in patients with HIV-1 infection correlates with increased serum neopterin and with neurologic/psychiatric symptoms.
abstract: We investigated serum neopterin, tryptophan, and kynurenine concentrations in 23 HIV-1 seropositive patients (Walter Reed Stage 4-6). Ten patients presented with polyneuropathy and three with dementia, one of the patients with dementia also had polyneuropathy and dementia. We found significant associations between lower trytophan concentrations and neurologic/psychiatric symptoms. The negative correlation of tryptophan with kynurenine and neopterin concentrations indicates activity of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) in patients. IDO can be induced by cytokines such as interferon-gamma and therefore low tryptophan levels may result from chronic immune stimulation in HIV-1 seropositives.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fuchs
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Möller
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Reibnegger
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stöckle
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wachter
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000097:blood*; D000328:Adult; D001708:Biopterins / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D003704:Dementia / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007737:Kynurenine / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019798:Neopterin; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D001708:Biopterins; D007737:Kynurenine; D019798:Neopterin; D014364:Tryptophan