Publication Name	World Journal of Clinical Pediatrics
Manuscript ID	115284
Country	Türkiye

Category	Psychology, Clinical
Manuscript Type	Observational Study
Article Title	Linkage of kynurenine pathway metabolites to neuroinflammation in drug-naive children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A cross-sectional, case–control study
Manuscript Source	Invited Manuscript
All Author List	Kübranur Ünal, Yasemin Taş Torun, Mehmet Emre Erol, Cansu Özbaş and Zeynep Kübra Kurt
Funding Agency and Grant Number
Corresponding Author	Kübranur Ünal, Associate Professor, MD, Department of Medical Biochemistry, Gazi University, Faculty of Medicine, Emniyet, Gazi Hst., Yenimahalle, Ankara 06560, Türkiye. kubranurunal@gazi.edu.tr
Key Words	Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Kynurenine; Kynurenine pathway; Neuroinflammation; Tryptophan metabolism alterations
Core Tip	This study examined the kynurenine pathway (KP) in medication-naive children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), focusing on the balance between neuroprotective and neurotoxic metabolites. Serum kynurenic acid (KYNA) levels and the KYNA/quinolinic acid ratio were significantly lower in ADHD patients, while the neurotoxic quinolinic acid/KYNA ratio was higher compared to controls. These findings suggest an imbalance between excitotoxic and neuroprotective mechanisms and suggest that dysregulation of the KP may play a role in the pathophysiology of ADHD. Although diagnostic accuracy is low, the results highlight the potential of KP-derived indices as biomarkers of ADHD. Larger longitudinal studies will be necessary to determine causal relationships and assess the therapeutic modulation of KP activity.
Citation	Ünal K, Taş Torun Y, Erol ME, Özbaş C, Kurt ZK. Linkage of kynurenine pathway metabolites to neuroinflammation in drug-naive children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A cross-sectional, case–control study. World J Clin Pediatr 2026; In press

Received	2025-10-15 02:48
Peer-Review Started	2025-10-15 02:48
First Decision by Editorial Office Director	2025-11-11 08:41
Return for Revision	2025-11-11 08:41
Revised	2025-12-02 06:22
Publication Fee Transferred
Second Decision by Editor	2026-02-03 02:34
Second Decision by Editor-in-Chief
Final Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-02-03 07:40
Articles in Press	2026-02-03 07:40
Edit the Manuscript by Language Editor
Typeset the Manuscript

ISSN	2219-2808 (online)
Open Access	This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0
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