Concentrations plasmatiques des glutathions et leurs corrélations avec les caractéristiques cliniques et thérapeutiques des patients atteints de schizophrénie

Abstract

IntroductionAltered glutathione systems (GSH) are suggested to participate in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The purpose of this study was to determine the plasmatic glutathione levels of patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy controls and to examine their relationships with clinical and therapeutic features. MethodsIt was a case-control study carried out on 100 patients with schizophrenia according to DSM-IV-TR criteria and 95 healthy controls. All patients were assessed by Clinical Global Impressions-severity (CGI-severity) and Global Assessment of Functioning (EGF). Most of the patients (55%) were under first-generation antipsychotics. Plasmatic glutathione levels (total glutathione GSHt, reduced glutathione GSHr, oxidized glutathione GSSG) were determined by spectrophotometry. ResultsThe levels of GSHt and GSHr were significantly decreased in schizophrenic patients in comparison with the healthy controls. These reductions were noted to be more pronounced in the untreated patients. No correlation was observed between the GSH levels and the clinical subtypes of schizophrenia and EGF scores. Depending on the therapeutic status, there were no significant differences in the GSH levels. In addition, there was no correlation between the GSH levels and the daily dosage of the antipsychotic treatment. ConclusionOur results suggest that the observed changes are related to the physiopathology of schizophrenia rather than to the presence of neuroleptic treatment. These results provide support for further studies of the possible role of antioxidants as neuroprotective therapeutic strategies.