| Literature DB >> 31798303 |
Arne Olav Ervik1, Stein-Erik Hafstad Solvang1,2, Jan Erik Nordrehaug1,2, Per Magne Ueland3, Øivind Midttun3, Audun Hildre1, Adrian McCann3, Ottar Nygård2,4, Dag Aarsland5, Lasse Melvaer Giil1,2.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The apolipoprotein E ε4 gene variant (APOEε4) confers considerable risk for dementia and affects neuroinflammation, brain metabolism, and synaptic function. The kynurenine pathway (KP) gives rise to neuroactive metabolites, which have inflammatory, redox, and excitotoxic effects in the brain. AIM: To assess whether the presence of at least one APOEε4 allele modifies the association between kynurenines and the cognitive prognosis.Entities:
Keywords: APOE4; APOEε4; Alzheimer disease; Dementia; Lewy body dementia; MMSE decline; apolipoprotein E ε4; cognitive decline; effect modification; interaction; kynurenic acid; kynurenines; picolinic acid
Year: 2019 PMID: 31798303 PMCID: PMC6859685 DOI: 10.1177/1178646919885637
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Int J Tryptophan Res ISSN: 1178-6469
Figure 1.Summary of the kynurenine pathway. Most tryptophan (TRP) is metabolized via the kynurenine pathway (KP). Tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO) and indolamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) covert TRP to kynurenine (KYN). TRP activates TDO, and interferon gamma (IFN-y) activates IDO. Next, the pyridoxal 5′-phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzymes, kynurenine aminotransferases (KATs) and kynureninase (KYNU), generate kynurenic acid (KA) and anthranilic acid (AA), respectively, from KYN. Then, kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO) converts KYN to 3-hydroxykynurenine (HK), which then converts KYNU to 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (HAA). Also, KATs generate xanthurenic acid (XA) from HK. Furthermore, 3-hydroxyanthranilate dioxygenase (3-HAO) converts HAA to 2-amino-3-carboxymuconatesemialdehyde (ACMSA). Furthermore, aminocarboxymuconic semialdehyde decarboxylase (ACMSD) generates picolinic acid (PA) from ACMSA. There is also a spontaneous conversion to quinolinic acid (QA) from ACMSA. Finally, quinolinic acid phosphoribosyltransferase (QPRT) is involved in the production of NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide+).
Patients with mild dementia (N = 152) and kynurenine levels at baseline.
|
| |
| Age[ | 75.1 [7.3] |
| Female, % | 57 |
| Current smokers, % | 20 |
| Mini-Mental State Examination score[ | 23.7 [2.8] |
|
| |
| Alzheimer disease, % | 58.9 |
| Lewy body dementia, % | 41.1 |
|
| |
| Heterozygotes (ε4ε3 or ε4ε2), % | 47.7 |
| Homozygotes (ε4ε4), % | 11.9 |
| Hetero- and homozygotes, % | 59.6 |
|
| |
| Glomerular filtration rate[ | 79.1 [20.7] |
| Pyridoxal 5′-phosphate[ | 31.7 [34.0] |
|
| |
| Tryptophan[ | 66.5 [22.0] |
| Kynurenine[ | 1.73 [0.64] |
| 3-hydroxykynurenine[ | 50.0 [33.7] |
| Kynurenic acid[ | 51.1 [23.9] |
| Xanthurenic acid[ | 12.4 [9.3] |
| Anthranilic acid[ | 21.4 [10.8] |
| 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid[ | 36.1 [16.7] |
| Picolinic acid[ | 36.1 [21.8] |
| Quinolinic acid[ | 470 [313] |
| Kynurenine-to-tryptophan ratio[ | 2.58 [1.07] |
The kynurenine-to-tryptophan ratio is multiplied by 100. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was calculated by the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula.[31]
In years.
Mean and [standard deviation].
mL/min/1.73 m2.
nmol/L.
Median and [interquartile range].
μmol/L.
Kynurenine levels according to APOEε4.
| No APOEε4 (n = 62) | APOEε4 (n = 90) |
| |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tryptophan[ | 66.7 [21.9] | 66.6 [21.5 | .564 |
| Kynurenine[ | 1.80 [0.64] | 1.72 [0.69] | .483 |
| 3-hydroxykynurenine[ | 52.1 [33.3] | 48.6 [34.1] | .475 |
| Kynurenic acid[ | 52.5 [23.9] | 50.9 [25.2] | .178 |
| Xanthurenic acid[ | 12.4 [10.5] | 12.4 [8.2] | .697 |
| Anthranilic acid[ | 22.1 [10.6] | 21.1 [10.7] | .272 |
| 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid[ | 36.3 [15.1] | 36.2 [17.6] | .934 |
| Picolinic acid[ | 36.4 [21.3] | 36.0 [22.7] | .688 |
| Quinolinic acid[ | 487 [384] | 442 [315] | .204 |
| Kynurenine-to-tryptophan ratio[ | 2.72 [1.03] | 2.47 [1.13] | .256 |
Mann-Whitney U test.
μmol/L.
Median and [interquartile range].
nmol/L.
Effect modification between APOEε4 and kynurenines on MMSE over 5 years.[a]
| Model | Predictors | Centered intercept[ | Slope[ | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Est. |
|
| Est. |
|
| ||
| TRP | TRP | 0.16 | 0.91 | .857 | −0.01 | 0.40 | .990 |
| TRP* APOEε4 | 0.06 | 1.11 | .958 | 0.02 | 0.46 | .964 | |
| APOEε4[ | −0.50 | 1.07 | .637 | −0.05 | 0.38 | .890 | |
| KYN | KYN | −1.08 | 0.98 | .272 | −0.46 | 0.32 | .152 |
| KYN* APOEε4 | 1.89 | 1.18 | .111 | 0.74 | 0.39 | .059 | |
| HK | HK | 0.87 | 0.84 | .297 | 0.21 | 0.27 | .446 |
| HK* APOEε4 | 0.16 | 1.04 | .878 | −0.19 | 0.37 | .960 | |
| KA | KA | −2.04 | 0.88 | .021 | −0.57 | 0.27 | .035* |
| KA* APOEε4 | 2.40 | 1.07 | .025* | 0.90 | 0.35 | .009* | |
| XA | XA | −0.65 | 0.73 | .372 | −0.13 | 0.27 | .626 |
| XA* APOEε4 | 0.36 | 1.03 | .725 | 0.08 | 0.36 | .818 | |
| AA | AA | −0.02 | 0.74 | .976 | −0.25 | 0.31 | .432 |
| AA* APOEε4 | 1.53 | 0.99 | .121 | 0.72 | 0.38 | .054 | |
| HAA | HAA | −0.87 | 0.73 | .233 | −0.21 | 0.25 | .398 |
| HAA* APOEε4 | 1.15 | 0.96 | .231 | 0.33 | 0.32 | .302 | |
| PIC | PIC | −2.18 | 0.95 | .023* | −0.80 | 0.35 | .022* |
| PIC* APOEε4 | 3.17 | 1.13 | .005* | 1.17 | 0.41 | .004* | |
| QA | QA | −1.48 | 1.09 | .176 | −0.65 | 0.34 | .053 |
| QA* APOEε4 | 2.12 | 1.22 | .083 | 0.94 | 0.39 | .017* | |
| KTR | KTR | −1.67 | 1.00 | .095 | −0.58 | 0.35 | .095 |
| KTR* APOEε4 | 2.17 | 1.12 | .052 | 0.83 | 0.40 | .039* | |
Abbreviations: AA, anthranilic acid; APOEε4, the apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 gene variant (1 or 2); Est., estimate; HAA, 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid; HK, 3-hydroxykynurenine; KA, kynurenic acid; KTR, kynurenine-to-tryptophan ratio; KYN, kynurenine; MMSE, Mini-Mental State Examination; PIC, picolinic acid; QA, quinolinic acid; SE, standard error; TRP, tryptophan; XA, xanthurenic acid.
Linear mixed effects model with random intercept and slope with centered time. Age, age × time, Lewy body dementia vs Alzheimer disease, glomerular filtration rate, and pyridoxal 5′-phosphate as covariates. All continuous covariates were standardized, as was log(kynurenines). Trp was on its original scale.
When time is centered, the intercepts (or mean differences) are estimated at the middle of the trajectory, as opposed to baseline, when the time is not centered.
All predictors listed under Slope include interactions with time (centered).
The effect size of APOEε4 on the intercept was from –0.53 to –0.49 and on the slopes from –0.09 to 0.02. None were significant (only shown for TRP).
Figure 2.MMSE declines according to tertiles of picolinic acid and APOEε4. When picolinic acid is high, there is an increasing decline in MMSE test scores over time in patients without the ε4 allele variant, whereas this decline is slightly lower with high picolinic acid in patients with the ε4 allele. Predictions are based on the fixed effects from the model in Table 3. APOEε4 indicates the ε4 allelic variant of the apolipoprotein E gene; MMSE, Mini-Mental State Examination.