Alteration of the pro-oxidant xanthine oxidase (XO) in the thalamus and occipital cortex of patients with schizophrenia

Abstract Objectives. Mounting evidence shows that oxidative stress (OS) and the purine/adenosine system play a key role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Lately, our group pointed out that not only antioxidants, but also the prooxidant system plays an important role in neuro-psychiatric disor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The world journal of biological psychiatry 2011-12, Vol.12 (8), p.588-597
Main Authors: Michel, Tanja Maria, Sheldrick, Abigail Jane, Camara, Sybille, Grünblatt, Edna, Schneider, Frank, Riederer, Peter
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Case-Control Studies
Female
free radicals
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Occipital Lobe - enzymology
Occipital Lobe - metabolism
Oxidative Stress
prooxidants
psychosis
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia - enzymology
Schizophrenia - metabolism
Schizophrenia - physiopathology
Thalamus - enzymology
Thalamus - metabolism
xanthine oxidase
Xanthine Oxidase - metabolism
Xanthine Oxidase - physiology
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Summary:Abstract Objectives. Mounting evidence shows that oxidative stress (OS) and the purine/adenosine system play a key role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Lately, our group pointed out that not only antioxidants, but also the prooxidant system plays an important role in neuro-psychiatric disorders. Xanthine oxidase (XO) is an enzyme of special interest in this context, since it acts as a prooxidant, but its main product is a vastly important antioxidant, uric acid (UA). Furthermore, XO plays major part in the purine/adenosine metabolism, which has been hypothesised to play a role in schizophrenia as well. Methods. We examined the activity of XO in the striato-cortico-limbic system of schizophrenic patients (SP) and controls using a commercially available activity assay. Results. We found decreased activity of XO in the occipital cortex and thalamus of patients with psychosis. Furthermore, XO shows a significant positive correlation with chlorpromazine equivalents in the putamen and the temporal cortex. Conclusions. Nevertheless, our results might suggest a downregulation of cellular defence mechanisms in schizophrenia in several brain regions, which could account for neuronal alterations which have been described before. This demonstrates that more research is needed to fully understand the role of the complex enzyme XO in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
ISSN:1562-2975
1814-1412
DOI:10.3109/15622975.2010.526146