Reduced antioxidant defense in early onset first-episode psychosis: a case-control study

doi:10.1186/1471-244X-11-26

BMC Psychiatry. 2011; 11: 26.

Published online 2011 February 14. doi: 10.1186/1471-244X-11-26

PMCID: PMC3045298

Reduced antioxidant defense in early onset first-episode psychosis: a case-control study

Juan Antonio Micó,¹ Maria Olga Rojas-Corrales,¹ Juan Gibert-Rahola,¹ Mara Parellada,² Dolores Moreno,² David Fraguas,³ Montserrat Graell,⁴ Javier Gil,⁵ Jon Irazusta,⁵ Josefina Castro-Fornieles,⁶ Cesar Soutullo,⁷ Celso Arango,² Soraya Otero,⁸ Ana Navarro,⁹ Inmaculada Baeza,⁶ Mónica Martínez-Cengotitabengoa,⁹ and Ana González-Pinto¹⁰

¹Department of Neuroscience, Pharmacology and Psychiatry, School of Medicine, CIBERSAM, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental. University of Cádiz, Spain

²Adolescent Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, CIBERSAM, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental Madrid, Spain

³Mental Health Service. University Hospital, Albacete. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, CIBERSAM, Spain

⁴Section of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Madrid, Spain

⁵Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Bizkaia, Spain

⁶Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Institut Clinic of Neurosciences, IDIBAPS, (Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer), Hospital Clínic Universitari of Barcelona, CIBERSAM, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Spain

⁷Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry & Medical Psychology, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain

⁸Child And Adolescent Psychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Valdecilla Universiy Hospital, Santander, Cantabria, Spain

⁹Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of Cádiz, CIBERSAM, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, Spain

¹⁰Hospital Santiago, Department of Psychiatry, CIBERSAM, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, University of the Basque Country, Olaguibel 29, Vitoria, Spain

Corresponding author.

Juan Antonio Micó: Juanantonio.mico/at/uca.es; Maria Olga Rojas-Corrales: olga.rojas/at/uca.es; Juan Gibert-Rahola: juan.gibert/at/uca.es; Mara Parellada: Mara.parellada/at/cibersam.es; Dolores Moreno: lola.moreno/at/cibersam.es; David Fraguas: david.fraguas/at/cibersam.es; Montserrat Graell: mgraellb/at/terra.com; Javier Gil: ofpgigof/at/lg.ehu.es; Jon Irazusta: jon.irazusta/at/ehu.es; Josefina Castro-Fornieles: Jcastro/at/clinic.ub.es; Cesar Soutullo: csoutullo/at/unav.es; Celso Arango: carango/at/hggm.es; Soraya Otero: soteroc/at/intersep.org; Ana Navarro: Ana.navarro/at/uca.es; Inmaculada Baeza: ibaeza/at/clinic.ub.es; Mónica Martínez-Cengotitabengoa: monica.martinezcengotitabengoa/at/osakidetza.net; Ana González-Pinto: Anamaria.gonzalez-pintoarrillaga/at/osakidetza.net

Received March 19, 2010; Accepted February 14, 2011.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.

Abstract

Background

Our objective is to determine the activity of the antioxidant defense system at admission in patients with early onset first psychotic episodes compared with a control group.

Methods

Total antioxidant status (TAS) and lipid peroxidation (LOOH) were determined in plasma. Enzyme activities and total glutathione levels were determined in erythrocytes in 102 children and adolescents with a first psychotic episode and 98 healthy controls.

Results

A decrease in antioxidant defense was found in patients, measured as decreased TAS and glutathione levels. Lipid damage (LOOH) and glutathione peroxidase activity was higher in patients than controls. Our study shows a decrease in the antioxidant defense system in early onset first episode psychotic patients.

Conclusions

Glutathione deficit seems to be implicated in psychosis, and may be an important indirect biomarker of oxidative stress in early-onset schizophrenia. Oxidative damage is present in these patients, and may contribute to its pathophysiology.

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