Description
L-kynurenine is the main product of the degradation of L-tryptophan, catalysed by Indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase (IDO).
L-kynurenine plays a key role as an immune suppressor in the course of infectious diseases, such as HIV, Tuberculosis, Borreliosis and malignant diseases such as colon cancer, lung cancer, leukemia, Hodgkin lymphoma and cervical cancer, where high kynurenine levels indicate a poor prognosis. Thus, L-kynurenine could serve as a prognostic marker to predict the progression and the severity of the disease.
