Abstract
BackgroundNicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric diseases. Bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with metabolic abnormalities and NNMT regulates energy metabolism and may also exert a causal role in metabolic disorders. The present study aimed to determine serum NNMT levels in patients with BD and compared the results with that of healthy controls, to explore the correlation between NNMT and clinical and metabolic characteristics.MethodsThe NNMT levels of 80 patients having a manic episode of BD and 65 non-psychiatric control individuals were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Metabolic parameters were evaluated using standard laboratory methods.ResultsThe serum NNMT levels of bipolar mania patients were significantly lower than that of non-psychiatric controls. Furthermore, the serum levels of NNMT were found to be negatively correlated with Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) scores and the duration of the illness. Moreover, lower NNMT serum levels were found in patients with a history of antipsychotic medication and dyslipidemia. Our results also demonstrated the different patterns of correlation that exist between the study groups. Serum NNMT levels were found to be negatively correlated with triglyceride, cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B levels in the BD group, while the same was found to be negatively associated only with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the control group.ConclusionsThese findings support the suggestion that lower NNMT serum levels are significantly associated with BD and that serum NNMT has the potential to regulate lipid metabolism in BD patients.
Highlights
Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric diseases
No significant differences in TG, High-density lipoprotein (HDL)-c, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), apo B, and fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels were observed between control and Bipolar disorder (BD) individuals, but Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in BD patients were higher than in healthy controls, and BD patients had significantly higher levels of serum CHO and apolipoprotein A (apo A)
In summary, our study shows that serum NNMT levels are lower in BD-manic patients, compared with that of non-psychiatric control individuals, and that the lower levels are negatively correlated with Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) scores and the duration of the illness
Summary
Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric diseases. Bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with metabolic abnormalities and NNMT regulates energy metabolism and may exert a causal role in metabolic disorders. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome is 30% higher in bipolar patients than in general population [6]. Special attention has been focused on one-carbon metabolism, as it may play a central role in neuropsychiatric diseases. One-carbon metabolism includes three metabolic processes:folate metabolism, homocysteine remethylation cycle, and sulfur transfer pathway [8]. It is associated with many biochemical reactions (such as methylation processes) and plays an important role in certain essential metabolisms (such as the synthesis of amino acids and peptides). Nicotinamide-Nmethyltransferase (NNMT) is an important enzyme that is involved in one-carbon metabolism. NNMT plays a crucial role by modulating nicotinamide and some pyridine derivatives methylation, which has been thought to have an important role in the biochemical basis of neuropsychiatry [8, 14]
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