High-Fat Diet and Voluntary Chronic Aerobic Exercise Recover Altered Levels of Aging-Related Tryptophan Metabolites along the Kynurenine Pathway

• Published in: Experimental neurobiology 2017, 26(3), , pp.132-140
• Main Authors: Lee, Keon-Joo, Jung, Keun-Hwa, Cho, Joo-Youn, Lee, Soon-Tae, Kim, Hwa Suk, Shim, Jun Hwa, Lee, Sang Kun, Kim, Manho, Chu, Kon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Original; 뇌과학
• ISSN: 1226-2560; 2093-8144
• DOI: 10.5607/en.2017.26.3.132

Tryptophan metabolites regulate a variety of physiological processes, and their downstream metabolites enter the kynurenine pathway. Age-related changes of metabolites and activities of associated enzymes in this pathway are suggestable and would be potential intervention targets. Blood levels of serum tryptophan metabolites in C57BL/6 mice of different ages, ranging from 6 weeks to 10 months, were assessed using high-performance liquid chromatography, and the enzyme activities for each metabolic step were estimated using the ratio of appropriate metabolite levels. Mice were subjected to voluntary chronic aerobic exercise or high-fat diet to assess their ability to rescue age-related alterations in the kynurenine pathway. The ratio of serum kynurenic acid (KYNA) to 3-hydroxylkynurenine (3-HK) decreased with advancing age. Voluntary chronic aerobic exercise and high-fat diet rescued the decreased KYNA/3-HK ratio in the 6-month-old and 8-month-old mice groups. Tryptophan metabolites and their associated enzyme activities were significantly altered during aging, and the KYNA/3-HK ratio was a meaningful indicator of aging. Exercise and high-fat diet could potentially recover the reduction of the KYNA/3-HK ratio in the elderly.