Indole-3-acetic acid

Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is the most common, naturally-occurring, plant hormone of the auxin class. It is the best known of the auxins, and has been the subject of extensive studies by plant physiologists. Chemically, IAA is a carboxylic acid in which the carboxyl group is attached through a methylene group to the C-3 position of an indole ring. In appearance, IAA is a colorless solid.

Biosynthesis

IAA is predominantly produced in cells of the apex (bud) and very young leaves of a plant. Plants can synthesize IAA by several independent biosynthetic pathways. Four of them start from tryptophan, but there is also a biosynthetic pathway independent of tryptophan. Plants mainly produce IAA from tryptophan through indole-3-pyruvic acid. IAA is also produced from tryptophan through indole-3-acetaldoxime in Arabidopsis thaliana.

In rats, IAA is a product of both endogenous and colonic microbial metabolism from dietary tryptophan along with tryptophol. This was first observed in rats infected by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense. and correlation with protein intake has been confirmed in 2015. Humans did not excrete IAA.