ReviewMolecular pain
Understanding the kynurenine pathway: A narrative review on its impact across chronic pain conditions.
Review in Molecular pain. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- The role of the kynurenine pathway in the pathogenesis of pain and affective disorders after traumatic brain injury.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2026Review
- Repetitive tooth-clenching triggers kynurenine pathway activation in masseter muscle of women with temporomandibular disorders myalgia.Pain reports · 2026Article
- The genetic architecture of fibromyalgia across 2.5 million individuals.Nature medicine · 2026Article
- Systemic implications of osteoarthritis: from local degeneration to systemic metabolic Dysregulation.Journal of translational medicine · 2026Review
- Neurobiology of Anxiety and Depression in CP/CPPS: A Narrative Review of Underlying Mechanisms.Neurology international · 2026Review
- From Polyphenols to Prodrugs: Bridging the Blood-Brain Barrier with Nanomedicine and Neurotherapeutics.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Spatially Contextualized Integrative Genomics Highlights Neuronal and Glial Regulatory Programs in Low Back Pain.Journal of pain research · 2026Article
- Kynurenine Pathway Metabolites as Mediators of Exercise-Induced Mood Enhancement, Fatigue Resistance, and Neuroprotection.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Serum Kynurenine Pathway Metabolites as Candidate Diagnostic Biomarkers for Pituitary Adenoma: A Case-Control Study.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Article
- Parallel Pathways, Divergent Outcomes: Adipose Tissue-Neural Crosstalk in Depression and Obesity.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Furosemide and the Symptom Burden: The Potential Mediating Role of Uremic Toxins in Patients with CKD.Toxins · 2025Article
- Invisible Links: Associations Between Micronutrient Deficiencies and Postpartum Depression-A Systematic Review.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Systemic Inflammation at the Crossroad of Major Depressive Disorder and Comorbidities: A Narrative Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- The genetic architecture of fibromyalgia across 2.5 million individuals.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025Article
- Assessment of Kynurenine Pathway Enzyme Activity in Ocular Diseases: Associations with Cataract, Diabetes, Glaucoma, and Pseudoexfoliation Syndrome.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- Gut microbiota-derived metabolites in immunomodulation and gastrointestinal cancer immunotherapy.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Review
- Dysregulation of lipid metabolism, energy production, and oxidative stress in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, Gulf War Syndrome and fibromyalgia.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2025Review
- Exploring Research Hotspots and Emerging Trends in Mitochondria and Chronic Pain: A Bibliometric and Visualized Analysis From 2004 to 2024.Pain research & management · 2025Article
- Oxidative imbalance as a co-player in jaw functional limitations and biopsychosocial profile in patients with temporomandibular disorder-myofascial pain with referral.Frontiers in neurology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Chronic pain is a debilitating symptom with a significant negative impact on the quality of life and socioeconomic status, particularly among adults and the elderly. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) stands out as one of the most important comorbid disorders accompanying chronic pain. The kynurenine pathway serves as the primary route for tryptophan degradation and holds critical significance in various biological processes, including the regulation of neurotransmitters, immune responses, cancer development, metabolism, and inflammation. This review encompasses key research studies related to the kynurenine pathway in the context of headache, neuropathic pain, gastrointestinal disorders, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and MDD. Various metabolites produced in the kynurenine pathway, such as kynurenic acid and quinolinic acid, exhibit neuroprotective and neurotoxic effects, respectively. Recent studies have highlighted the significant involvement of kynurenine and its metabolites in the pathophysiology of pain. Moreover, pharmacological interventions targeting the regulation of the kynurenine pathway have shown therapeutic promise in pain management. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of this pathway presents an opportunity for developing personalized, innovative, and non-opioid approaches to pain treatment. Therefore, this narrative review explores the role of the kynurenine pathway in various chronic pain disorders and its association with depression and chronic pain.
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What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.