The role of pteridines in physiology and pathology.

Abstract

Disorders or persistent noxious stimulation of the neuroimmunological circuitry can lead to neoplastic, neurological, immunological, psychiatric, or multiorgan pathology. The cause/effect relationship has encouraged a search for neuroimmunological markers possessing functional or pathological correlates. Among the molecules studied, those associated with the biopterin biosynthetic pathway (including neopterin) have proven to be useful and informative. This review addresses the relevance of the latter mediators to our understanding of the pathophysiology of neoplastic, neurological, psychiatric, and immunological disease processes.