Kynurenine pathway metabolites as potential biomarkers in age-related macular degeneration: an ELISA-based prospective study

KYN pathway metabolites exhibit significant alterations in patients with AMD. 3HK levels and the reduction of the KYNA/3HK ratio suggest a disruption of the neurotoxic-neuroprotective balance and imply that KYN pathway dysfunction may play a role in the pathogenesis of AMD. Among the biomarkers examined, 3HK displayed the highest diagnostic performance, while the KYNA/3HK ratio emerged as an additional biological indicator. These findings indicate that 3HK and the KYNA/3HK ratio may serve as potential biomarker candidates for the early diagnosis and monitoring of AMD.