5-Hydroxytryptophan
5-hydroxytryptophan
[¦fīv hī¦dräk·sē′trip·tə‚fan]5-Hydroxytryptophan
(also β-5-hydroxyindolyl-3-alanine), an amino acid. Two optically active forms and one racemic form exist for 5-hydroxytryptophan. In animals and man, L-5-hydroxytryptophan is produced as a result of the enzymatic hydroxylation of L-tryptophan during the conversion of L-tryp-tophan into the nervous-system mediator serotonin. When injected parenterally, 5-hydroxytryptophan has a hallucinogenic effect.