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High concentration of kynurenic acid in bile and pancreatic juice

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Abstract

Kynurenic acid (KYNA) is an agonist of the G-protein-coupled receptor GPR35, which is predominantly expressed in gastrointestinal tissues. The aim of this study was to determine the content of KYNA in gastric juice, bile and pancreatic juice and intestinal content. KYNA was determined by means of high performance liquid chromatography. The mean concentrations of KYNA in human gastric juice is 9.91 ± 0.71 nM in contrast to human bile (832.5 ± 204.1 and 306.8 ± 35.2 nM) obtained from patients with cholecystolithiasis and obstructive jaundice, respectively. In pigs, the KYNA levels in bile and pancreatic juice are 1,113.3 ± 63.34 and 757.0 ± 394.4 nM, respectively. The KYNA concentration increases along the digestive system, reaching 1,638 nM in the colon content. We suggest that the liver and pancreas affect the content of kynurenic acid in the lumen of the digestive tract.

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Acknowledgments

Technical assistance from Franciszek Wysocki, MD, Department of Surgery, Regional Hospital, Lublin, Poland, is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery and Surgical Nursing, Medical University, Chodzki 6, 20-090, Lublin, Poland

    Piotr Paluszkiewicz

  2. Department of Toxicology, Institute of Agricultural Medicine, Jaczewskiego 2, 20-950, Lublin, Poland

    Wojciech Zgrajka & Waldemar A. Turski

  3. Department of Rehabilitation, Institute of Agricultural Medicine, Jaczewskiego 2, 20-950, Lublin, Poland

    Tomasz Saran & Janusz Schabowski

  4. Department of Animal Biochemistry and Physiology, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 12, 20-950, Lublin, Poland

    Jose L. Valverde Piedra

  5. Department of Cell and Organism Biology, Lund University, Helgonavägen 3b, Lund, Sweden

    Olexandr Fedkiv, Sofia Rengman & Stefan G. Pierzynowski

  6. Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University, Jaczewskiego 8, 20-090, Lublin, Poland

    Waldemar A. Turski

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  1. Piotr Paluszkiewicz
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  2. Wojciech Zgrajka
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  8. Stefan G. Pierzynowski
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  9. Waldemar A. Turski
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Correspondence to Waldemar A. Turski.

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Paluszkiewicz, P., Zgrajka, W., Saran, T. et al. High concentration of kynurenic acid in bile and pancreatic juice. Amino Acids 37, 637–641 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-008-0183-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-008-0183-x

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