Xanthurenic acid is formed upon tryptophan degradation by indoleamine-2,3 dioxygenase. It has been shown to be an endogenous Group II metabotropic glutamate (mGluR2 and mGluR3) receptor agonist and is implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Xanthurenic acid has also been identified as an inducer of gametogenesis of P. falciparum, the parasite that causes malaria, and thus, is a target for the development of new methods to interrupt the transmission of malaria.
