Kynurenines in Parkinson’s disease: therapeutic perspectives

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic progressive neurodegenerative disorder the pathomechanism of which is not yet fully known. With regard to the molecular mechanism of development of the disease, oxidative stress/mitochondrial impairment, glutamate excitotoxicity and neuroinflammation are certainly involved. Alterations in the kynurenine pathway, the main pathway of the tryptophan metabolism, can contribute to the complex pathomechanism. There are several possibilities for therapeutic intervention involving targeting of this altered metabolic route. The development of synthetic molecules that would shift the altered balance towards the achievement of neuroprotective effects would be of great promise for future clinical studies on PD.