Metabolism of Tryptophan in the placenta

The placenta is a very important and indispensable organ needed during pregnancy. Even though it is a temporary organ, it is essential for the happy outcome of the pregnancy It is the most important link between the mother and the fetus. It performs tasks during pregnancy, including the transport of various metabolic products and immunoprotective processes. The smooth functioning of the placenta is essential for the normal growth and development of the embryo. Several factors affect fetal growth and development. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that is a precursor of tryptophan metabolism. The metabolism of TPH gives rise to various metabolites such as serotonin, kynurenine, melatonin, etc., of which serotonin is a very important neurotransmitter required for fetal development. The variability of tryptophan along the serotonin and kynurenine pathways produces metabolites with neuroactive, immunosuppressive, and antioxidant properties. Proper concentrations of tryptophan metabolites are critical for the successful outcome of pregnancy. There are various transporters and enzymes that are involved in the metabolism of tryptophan in the placenta. The main transporters involved are Serotonin transporters that includes solute carrier 6A4/ solute carrier 6a4), Organic Cation Transporter 3 (Solute carrier 22A3/Slc22a3), Tryptophan Hydroxylase 1 (Tryptophan Hydroxylase1/T), Tryptophan Hydroxylase 2 (TPH2/Tph2), Monamine Oxidase -A, Monomine Oxidase -B (MAO-B/Mao-b), L- type amino acid 1 (L-type amino acid transporter 1; Solute carrier7A5/Solute carrier7a5) and L- type amino acid 2 (Solute carrier 7A8/Solute carrier 7a8), these transporters must be regulated for the placental homeostasis of tryptophan. The main aim of this project was to investigate: 1) Expression of transporters involved in the metabolism of TRP like SERT (SLC6A4/ Slc6a4), OCT3 (SLC22A3/Slc22a3), TPH1 (TPH1/Tph1), TPH2 (TPH2/Tph2), MAO-A (MAO-A/Mao-a), MAO-B (MAO-B/Mao-b), LAT1 (L-type amino acid transporter 1; SLC7A5/Slc7a5) and LAT2 (SLC7A8/Slc7a8) 2)Effect of fetal sex: Exhibiting different expression patterns of the specified transporters involved in placental extraction and retention of serotonin.