3-Indolepropionic acid

3-Indolepropionic acid (IPA), or indole-3-propionic acid, is a potent neuroprotective antioxidant and plant auxin that is being studied for therapeutic use in Alzheimer's disease. It is endogenously produced within the human microbiome and detectable in humans only when the bacteria Clostridium sporogenes is present in the gastrointestinal tract. In individuals who lack C. sporogenes colonization, IPA is not detectable in the blood. In order to synthesize IPA, C. sporogenes metabolizes tryptophan into indole and then subsequently 3-indolepropionic acid.