L–Tryptophan (Trp) and its derivatives, such as 5-hydroxy–L–tryptophan (5-OH-L-Trp), and tryptamine, are related to biochemical reactions that lead to serotonin synthesis in the brain’s neurotransmitters, lower levels of which are observed in clinically depressed patients.
1. Introduction
As defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), depression is a common mental illness that affects more than 322 million people worldwide
[1]. The typical symptoms of depression are persistent sadness, as well as the inability to feel feelings of happiness (anhedonia), sleep problems, loss of appetite, general fatigue, and cognitive problems. Depression is one of the leading causes of mental and physical disability worldwide
[2].
The etiology of depression is a complex interplay of psychological, social, and biological factors. People who have experienced adverse life events, such as the death of a loved one or prolonged unemployment, are at an increased risk of developing depression. The presence of physical diseases such as cardiovascular and neurogenerative diseases may increase the risk of depression
[3,4][3][4].
Interestingly, the COVID-19 pandemic increased depressive symptoms by five percentage points, from 27.8 to 32.8% of adults in the United States in 2021 compared to the first months of 2020
[5]. The increased risk of depressive symptoms and the development of depression may be related to the so-called pandemic environment and the introduction of “lockdowns” that restrict social activities in many countries. There is also growing evidence of COVID-19 disease and an increased risk of depression in recovered adults
[6]. The mechanism of the development of depressive symptoms in recovered adults is not well understood yet. One of the possible explanations for this phenomenon may be related to the so-called “cytokine storm”—abnormally high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL–1β, IL–6, IL–12, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF–α) and interferon gamma (INF–γ). A cytokine storm can contribute to neurotoxicity, blood barrier disruption, or even acute necrotizing encephalopathy
[7].
Clinical psychopharmacology is a branch of science that deals with the description of the use of pharmacological agents for the treatment of specific psychopathological symptoms. The beginning of this field of knowledge dates to the 1940s and 1950s
[8]. The first antidepressant drug was iproniazid, introduced in the treatment of tuberculosis in 1952
[9]. In tuberculosis patients treated with this drug, a significant improvement in mood was observed, unprecedented in patients in this clinical state
[10]. After a few years, the mechanism of action of iproniazid was described, as it turned out to be an irreversible inhibitor of the monoamine oxidase (MAO) enzyme, which in turn led to an increase in the concentration of biogenic amines in the brain
[11]. Iproniazid became a precursor drug for the first antidepressants, MAO inhibitors, including trancylopromine and phenelzine. Currently, iproniazide is not registered for the treatment of depression due to side effects, including liver damage
[11].
Treatment of depression is based on the theory of monoamines introduced in the 1960s, which states that this disease is caused by a decreased level of monoamines (serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine) in the brain
[12]. The mechanism of action of drugs used in the first line of depression treatment is inhibition of neuronal reuptake of monoamines from synaptic clefts, as in the case of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), for example, fluoxetine, citalopram, or sertraline, which reduce the activity of serotonin transporters
[13]. Although these drugs are potent antidepressants, the cause of depression is not simply insufficient monoamine levels. SSRIs cause an immediate increase in serotonin transmission, while it takes several weeks for mood-elevating activity to develop in treated patients, which is associated with changes in the expression of serotonin-dependent receptors. Recent data on the development of depression have extended the theory of monoamines to include neurotrophic and neurogenic hypotheses
[14,15][14][15]. Decreased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are involved in the pathogenesis of depression
[16]. BDNF is required for neurogenesis and neuroplasticity in the hippocampus
[17]. In people with depression, BDNF expression is decreased in the limbic area of the brain due to neuronal atrophy. Serotonin and its receptors are involved in the regulation of BDNF levels and neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus. Chronic treatment with an SSRI has been shown to increase BDNF levels in humans and rodents
[18,19][18][19]. Altered levels of other neurotrophins, such as neurotrophin–3 (NT–3), neurotrophin–4 (NT–4), and nerve growth factor (NGF), are also observed in patients with depressive disorders
[20].
Medicinal/edible mushrooms and their mycelia from in vitro cultures are receiving increasing scientific attention for their potential to promote health. They are considered functional foods because of their ability to synthesize and accumulate different types of metabolites, which enhance their health-promoting properties and can be used as a supplement to the human diet. Studies show the multidirectional activity of medicinal mushrooms and their mycelium, including antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and immunostimulatory effects. Increasingly, there is also evidence of antidepressant activity
[21,22,23][21][22][23].
Researchers at Penn State University published a research paper describing the link between eating mushrooms and depression
[24]. The main conclusion of this population-based study, which analyzed mushroom consumption among US residents from 2005 to 2016, was that mushroom consumers are less likely to suffer from depression
[24]. The results are consistent with previous small clinical studies
[25,26,27][25][26][27]. However, the studies presented above did not investigate the potential mechanisms of the antidepressant effect of edible mushrooms.
2. L–Tryptophan Derivatives—Essential Compounds for Serotonin Synthesis
L–Tryptophan (Trp) and its derivatives, such as 5-hydroxy–L–tryptophan (5-OH-L-Trp), and tryptamine, are related to biochemical reactions that lead to serotonin synthesis in the brain’s neurotransmitters, lower levels of which are observed in clinically depressed patients
[28] These compounds have been shown to scavenge free radicals and protect cells against oxidative stress, potentially reducing the risk of certain diseases such as cancer, neurogenerative diseases, and depression
[29].
Trp is an essential amino acid and is considered an exogenic amino acid for the human body. Although its importance is the synthesis of various proteins, Trp is a precursor of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) in the brain and gut. The biosynthetic pathway of serotonin is presented in
Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Pathway of serotonin (5–hydroxytryptamine) synthesis.
The serotonin metabolic pathway starts with the hydroxylation of Trp to 5-OH-L-Trp, which is decarboxylated to 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin). The limiting stage of serotonin synthesis is Trp hydroxylation by the enzyme Trp hydroxylase (TPH) and is not saturated at physiological brain tryptophan concentrations; therefore, serotonin synthesis in the brain is assumed to be directly connected with tryptophan transport into the brain
[30,31,32][30][31][32].
Trp can be transported to the brain through a nutrient amino acid transporter protein that is involved in the transport of large neutral amino acids (LNAAs) such as valine, leucine, isoleucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine, and methionine from the bloodstream to the brain through the blood-brain barrier (BBB)
[33]. The content of Trp that crosses the BBB by the nutrient amino acid transporter depends on the ratio of Trp and other LNAAs in plasma
[33]. After meal ingestion, the levels of Trp and other LNAAs in plasma increase. As a result of a relatively low increase in Trp in comparison to other essential amino acids in plasma concentration, the plasma Trp/LNAA ratio decreases, and consequently, a reduced Trp influx to the brain is observed
[33].
There are several factors that can influence Trp influx to the brain by influencing LNAA concentration in plasma, such as the ingestion of carbohydrates, the intake of protein amounts, or exercise. Ingestion of dietary carbohydrates led to elevated insulin levels. Insulin promotes the uptake of LNAAs in skeletal muscle, which leads to an increase in the Trp/LNAA ratio and consequently to Trp influx into brain tissue
[34]. L–Tryptophan is not transported to muscle tissue because it bonds with albumin, while other LNAAs are not.
Trp obtained from food can be transformed into serotonin in a limited amount. In mammals, approximately 95% of Trp is metabolized through the kynurenic metabolic pathway, whose products exhibit biological activity
[35].
Fruiting bodies of edible mushrooms are a good source of non-hallucinogenic indole compounds such as Trp, 5-OH-L-Trp, and tryptamine (
Table 1)
[36,37,38][36][37][38].
Table 1.
Content of L–tryptophan, 5–hydroxy–L–tryptophan and tryptamine in fruiting bodies of selected medicinal mushrooms.