Health & Environmental Research Online (HERO)


Print Feedback Export to File
1563948 
Journal Article 
Reduced antioxidant defense systems in schizophrenia and bipolar I disorder 
Raffa, M; Barhoumi, S; Atig, F; Fendri, C; Kerkeni, A; Mechri, A 
2012 
1 
Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry
ISSN: 0278-5846
EISSN: 1878-4216 
39 
2 
371-375 
22841966 
WOS:000310943500023 
Numerous evidence and proofs suggest that the oxidative
stress contributes to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD). The aim
of this study is to determine the glutathione levels and the antioxidant enzyme activities in
blood samples of patients suffering from SZ and patients with bipolar disorder in comparison with
the healthy controlled subjects. It was a case-controlled study carried on upon three groups:
forty-six SZ patients (41 men and 5 women, mean age = 33.2 +/- 7 years), thirty BD patients (25
men and 5 women, mean age = 31.3 +/- 8 years) and forty healthy controls (33 men and 7 women,
mean age = 32.3 +/- 7 years). The glutathione levels are the total glutathione (GSHt), the
reduced glutathione (GSHr), and the oxidized glutathione (GSSG) and the antioxidant enzyme
activities that are the superoxide dismutase (SOD), the glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and the
catalase (CAT) are determined by the spectrophotometer. We noticed that the GSHt and the GSHr
levels significantly decreased in both SZ and BD patients in comparison with the healthy control
subjects. As for SOD and CAT activities they remained lower for the patients with SZ when
compared both with the controls or the BD patients. We noticed as well that the CAT activity was
significantly lower in the BD group than that in the control group, whereas, GPx activity showed
no significant change in each group. Hence, this report of the decreased plasma levels of GSHt
and GSHr, and the impaired antioxidant enzyme activities in SZ and BD patients aims at
highlighting the GSH deficit that seems to be contributing to these disorders, and showing that
it may be an important indirect biomarker of the oxidative stress for the SZ and BD. (C) 2012
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 
Antioxidant enzymes; Bipolar disorder; Glutathione; Oxidative stress; Schizophrenia