Learning & Education
5-hydroxytryptophan, or 5-HTP for short, is the intermediate metabolite of the essential amino acid tryptophan in the process of serotonin biosynthesis [1]. That is to say, it is an immediate precursor to serotonin [1,2]. 5-HTP is both a drug and a natural component of some dietary supplements. It is produced from tryptophan (an essential amino acid that we must obtain from food) by an enzyme called tryptophan hydroxylase [3].