Description
Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is an intermediate product of tryptophan metabolism.
Serotonin is located primarily in the enterochromaffin cells of intestine, serotonergic neurons of the brain, platelets of the blood and is well established as a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Nearly all of the serotonin in circulating blood is concentrated in platelets. Altered concentrations of circulating serotonin have been implicated in several pathological conditions including chronic tension headache, schizophrenia, hypertension, Huntington’s disease, Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy and early acute appendicitis. The determination of serum serotonin levels is of high clinical significance for the aid in diagnostic assessment of carcinoid syndrome.
