title: Decreased levels of kynurenic acid in prefrontal cortex in a genetic animal model of depression.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is a growing interest in the role of kynurenine pathway and tryptophan metabolites in the pathophysiology of depression. In the present study, the metabolism of tryptophan along the kynurenine pathway was analysed in a rat model of depression.
  
  
  METHODS
  Kynurenic acid (KYNA) and 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HK) were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in prefrontal cortex (PFC) and frontal cortex (FC) in a rat model of depression, the Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL) and their controls, the Flinders Resistant Line (FRL) rats. In addition, KYNA was also measured in hippocampus, striatum and cerebellum.
  
  
  RESULTS
  KYNA levels were reduced in the PFC of FSL rats compared with FRL rats, but did not differ with regard to the FC, hippocampus, striatum or cerebellum. 3-HK levels in PFC and FC, representing the activity of the microglial branch of the kynurenine pathway, did not differ between the FSL and FRL strains.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest an imbalanced metabolism of the kynurenine pathway in the PFC of FSL rats.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Physiology and Pharmacology,Karolinska Institutet,Stockholm,Sweden.
authors.forename: Xi-Cong
authors.initials: XC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Physiology and Pharmacology,Karolinska Institutet,Stockholm,Sweden.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Erhardt
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Physiology and Pharmacology,Karolinska Institutet,Stockholm,Sweden.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goiny
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Physiology and Pharmacology,Karolinska Institutet,Stockholm,Sweden.
authors.forename: Göran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Engberg
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Clinical Neuroscience,Karolinska Institutet,Stockholm,Sweden.
authors.forename: Aleksander A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Mathé
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000378:metabolism; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000378:metabolism; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism; D007736:Kynurenic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D007737:Kynurenine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C005045:3-hydroxykynurenine; D007737:Kynurenine; D014364:Tryptophan; D007736:Kynurenic Acid
keywords: 3-hydroxykynurenine; Flinders Sensitive Line rat; depression; kynurenic acid