Serum levels of oxidants and protein S100B were associated in the first-episode drug naïve patients with schizophrenia

Lei Liu,Yunlong Tan,Yun Bian,Xianyun Li,Xiaole Han,Li Tian,Yanli Li,Song Chen,Zhiren Wang,Fude Yang

doi:10.36316/gcatr.01.0013

Abstract

Background: Patients with schizophrenia have been noted with an elevation of serum S100B protein concentration, but the pathological process is not known. This study was to investigate the relationship between levels of S100B protein and oxidative stress. Methods: General information and blood sample were collected from the first-episode drug naïve or drug-free acute stage of patients who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV (DSM-IV) criteria for schizophrenia and healthy controls. The serum levels of S100B, total oxidants (TOS) and malonaldehyde (MDA) were used to measure the level of oxidative stress in both patients, and healthy controls. General linear regression analysis was performed to examine the association of S100B protein with the levels of oxidative stress. Results: The levels of serum protein S100B were associated with the concentration of both TOS (Beta=15.77; p=0.0038) and MDA (Beta=7.90; p=0.0068) in the first-episode drug-naive patients (n=29).While both associations were no longer significant (p>0.05) in the drug-free acute phase patients (n=29); the levels of serum S100B was still consistently associated with TOS (Beta=12.42;p=0.0026) and MDA(Beta=4.11;p=0.0480) in the combined group of patients group(n=58). Simultaneous analysis of both oxidative markers, we still found that both TOS (Beta=12.88; p=0.0103) and MDA (Beta=6.46; p=0.0167) were associated with the serum level of protein S100B in the first-episode drug-naive patients, but not drug-free acute phase patients. Conclusion: Our results suggest that astrocyte activity, serum levels of oxidants, and their cross-talking might be involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. This warrants a further study for understanding the underlying mechanism.

Highlights

Extensive evidence suggests that astrocytes play a crucial role in the central nervous system functions, which have been implicated in the dynamic regulation of neuron energy metabolism and production, synaptic network formation, neuron electrical activity, neurotransmitter release, and immune responses
While the protein S100B is considered a potential clinical marker for blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, CNS injury or presence of neurological conditions [2], evidence has supported that protein S100B may play a role of immune pathology in the etiopathogenesis of schizophrenia[3], which has been believed involving brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) [4, 5], the immune and inflammatory changes [6, 7], the oxidative stress [8,9,10,11]
We aimed to investigate the relationship between the level of protein S100B and oxidative stress status in first-episode naive drug patients with schizophrenia, which allows us to minimize the potential impact of confounding factors such as illness duration, medication effects, and the psychiatric and medical co-morbidities

Summary

Introduction

Extensive evidence suggests that astrocytes play a crucial role in the central nervous system functions, which have been implicated in the dynamic regulation of neuron energy metabolism and production, synaptic network formation, neuron electrical activity, neurotransmitter release, and immune responses. S100B acts as a neurotrophic factor and neuronal survival protein in the developing central nervous system(CNS)(1); whereas it can spill from the injured cells and enter the extracellular space or bloodstream, and cause an increase in the serum levels of protein S100B during the acute phase of brain damage. While the protein S100B is considered a potential clinical marker for blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, CNS injury or presence of neurological conditions [2], evidence has supported that protein S100B may play a role of immune pathology in the etiopathogenesis of schizophrenia[3], which has been believed involving brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) [4, 5], the immune and inflammatory changes [6, 7], the oxidative stress [8,9,10,11]. This study was to investigate the relationship between levels of S100B protein and oxidative stress

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion