Headache
June 18, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Interictal serum L-kynurenine and PACAP-38 levels in relation to allodynia and migraine subtypes.
Durak E, Gündoğdu AA, Güzel S, Yılmaz A.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
Interictal serum L-kynurenine and PACAP-38 were lower in people with migraine than in controls and related to subtype and allodynia, though the abstract is cut off before the full results.
What was studied
Observational cross-sectional study of 137 patients with migraine and 40 matched healthy volunteers at a tertiary university hospital neurology clinic, measuring interictal serum L-KYN and PACAP-38 by ELISA and relating them to episodic versus chronic migraine and allodynia using clinical scales and regression models.
Key findings
- 137 patients with migraine and 40 controls were studied
- Serum L-KYN and PACAP-38 were significantly lower in patients than controls
- The authors conclude the levels are associated with migraine subtypes and allodynia
Clinical relevance
These molecules might eventually serve as peripheral indicators of migraine biology, but they are not usable for diagnosis or management today.
Who should care
Limitations
The results text is truncated so effect sizes and subtype comparisons are missing; the design is cross-sectional, single-center and cannot show causation.
Lower interictal L-KYN and PACAP-38 may mark migraine and allodynia, pending full results and replication.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
Objective
This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between serum levels of L-kynurenine (L-KYN) and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide-38 (PACAP-38), two molecules implicated in migraine pathophysiology and migraine subtypes (episodic and chronic), as well as the presence of allodynia. We hypothesized that dysregulation of the kynurenine pathway and prepro-pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) signaling would be reflected in altered serum L-KYN and PACAP-38 levels across migraine subtypes and in relation to allodynia.
Background
Migraine is a complex neurological disorder characterized by central sensitization and trigeminovascular activation. Although the kynurenine pathway and PACAP-38 have been implicated in migraine pathophysiology, their associations with migraine subtypes and allodynia remain insufficiently understood.
Methods
In this observational cross-sectional study, a total of 137 patients diagnosed with migraine who presented to the neurology outpatient clinic of a tertiary university hospital, and 40 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers as a control group, were included. Interictal serum L-KYN and PACAP-38 levels were measured in all participants using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Clinical assessments comprised the Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, MIDAS, Allodynia Symptom Checklist, and a visual analogue scale. Data analyses included nonparametric tests, correlation analyses, and multivariable logistic and robust regression models.
Results
Interictal serum L-KYN and PACAP-38 levels were significantly lower in patients with migraine compared with controls (PACAP-38: H(2) = 84.742, p < 0.001; L-KYN: H(2) = 68.991, p < 0.001), with numerically lower levels in chronic migraine than in episodic migraine. Both molecules showed strong discriminatory ability between patients with migraine and healthy controls (area under the curve = 0.977 for PACAP-38; area under the curve = 0.922 for L-KYN). A strong positive correlation was observed between serum L-KYN and PACAP-38 levels (ρ = 0.772, p < 0.001). Aura (odds ratio = 4.6, 95% confidence interval [1.3 to 16.2], p = 0.017) and secondary/high school educational level (odds ratio = 6.8, 95% interval [1.5 to 31.3], p = 0.015) emerged as independent predictors of allodynia.
Conclusion
Interictal serum L-KYN and PACAP-38 levels are associated with migraine subtypes and allodynia, with potential utility as clinically relevant peripheral indicators associated with migraine-related neurobiological processes.
DOI
10.1111/head.70143
PMID
42312438
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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