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Cao B, Wang D, Brietzke E, McIntyre RS, Pan Z, Cha D, Rosenblat JD, Zuckerman H, Liu Y, Xie Q, Wang J. Characterizing amino-acid biosignatures amongst individuals with schizophrenia: a case-control study. Amino Acids 2018; 50:1013-1023. [PMID: 29796929 DOI: 10.1007/s00726-018-2579-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Accepted: 04/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Amino acids and derivatives participate in the biosynthesis and downstream effects of numerous neurotransmitters. Variations in specific amino acids have been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Herein, we sought to compare levels of amino acids and derivatives between subjects with schizophrenia and healthy controls (HC). Two hundred and eight subjects with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria (DSM-IV)-defined schizophrenia and 175 age- and sex-matched HC were enrolled. The levels of twenty-five amino acids and seven related derivatives were measured in plasma samples using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS). After controlling for age, sex and body mass index (BMI), four amino acids and derivatives (i.e., cysteine, GABA, glutamine and sarcosine) were observed to be higher in the schizophrenia group when compared with HC; seven amino acids and derivatives were lower in the schizophrenia group (i.e., arginine, L-ornithine, threonine, taurine, tryptophan, methylcysteine, and kynurenine). Statistically significant differences in plasma amino-acid profiles between subjects with first-episode vs. recurrent schizophrenia for aspartate and glutamine were also demonstrated using generalized linear models controlling for age, sex, and BMI. The differences in amino acids and derivatives among individuals with schizophrenia when compared to HC may represent underlying pathophysiology, including but not limited to dysfunctional proteinogenic processes, alterations in excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission, changes in ammonia metabolism and the urea cycle. Taken together, amino-acid profiling may provide a novel stratification approach among individuals with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bing Cao
- Department of Laboratorial Science and Technology, School of Public Health, Peking University, 38 Xue-Yuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Dongfang Wang
- Department of Laboratorial Science and Technology, School of Public Health, Peking University, 38 Xue-Yuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Elisa Brietzke
- Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Roger S McIntyre
- Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Brain and Cognition Discovery Foundation, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Zihang Pan
- Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Danielle Cha
- Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Faculty of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Joshua D Rosenblat
- Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Hannah Zuckerman
- Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit, Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Yaqiong Liu
- Department of Laboratorial Science and Technology, School of Public Health, Peking University, 38 Xue-Yuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Toxicological Research and Risk Assessment for Food Safety, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China.,Peking University Medical and Health Analysis Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Qing Xie
- Department of Laboratorial Science and Technology, School of Public Health, Peking University, 38 Xue-Yuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Toxicological Research and Risk Assessment for Food Safety, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China.,Peking University Medical and Health Analysis Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingyu Wang
- Department of Laboratorial Science and Technology, School of Public Health, Peking University, 38 Xue-Yuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China. .,Beijing Key Laboratory of Toxicological Research and Risk Assessment for Food Safety, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China. .,Peking University Medical and Health Analysis Center, Peking University, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China.
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