Tryptophan

Category: amino-acid

Aliases: Trp, W, L-Tryptophan

Pharmacological Mechanism

Serotonin + melatonin pathway: Trp → [[5-htp]] (tryptophan hydroxylase) → [[serotonin]] (see [[serotonin_melatonin_axis]]) (AADC) → [[melatonin]]. Parallel [[kynurenine_tryptophan_pathway]] (>95% of Trp flux; inflammation shifts toward quinolinate / NAD⁺ at the expense of serotonin). NAD⁺ de-novo biosynthesis from kynurenine.

Half-Life (t½)

PO: 2h

Dosing Guidelines

• PO: Typical 0.667g (Range: 0.5 - 1 g)

Target Organ Systems

• nervous
• endocrine
• immune-hematologic

Interactions

• 5-HTP
• Serotonin