[Proteomic analysis of novel serum markers in first-episode schizophrenics before versus after treatment of risperidone].

OBJECTIVE

To explore the changes in serum protein levels of schizophrenics before and after treatment of risperidone and identify the potential markers of diagnosis, treatment and drug side effects of schizophrenia.

METHODS

Eighty first-episode schizophrenics without other concurrent diseases and with positive and negative symptom scale (PANSS) score greater than or equal to 60 were recruited. And 15 of them were measured by proteomics. Different serum levels of proteins were obtained from these patients and were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) before and after a single risperidone treatment for 8 weeks. These proteins were then identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and peptide mass fingerprinting. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to verify the results.

RESULTS

Almost 1400 spots were detected by 2-DE in each gel. Of these proteins, 23 protein spots showed significant differences in abundance before and after risperidone treatment. After MALDI-TOF peptide mass fingerprinting, 9 up-regulated proteins and 8 down-regulated proteins were validated after treatment. Of these proteins, the schizophrenics showed a significantly higher content of apolipoprotein A-1 (APOA-1) than those before treatment and haptoglobin (HP) protein was down-regulated after treatment. The results of ELISA were parallel with those of proteomic (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

The serum proteins correlated with blood glucose and lipid metabolism are altered in schizophrenia after treatment of risperidone. A clinician should monitor the side effects of antipsychotic drugs according to the changes of serum proteins.