An iron-messenger system--a hypothesis

Free radical pathology and antioxidant defense in schizophrenia: a review

There is increasing evidence that free radical-mediated CNS neuronal dysfunction is involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Free radicals (oxyradicals, such as superoxide, hydroxyl ions, and nitric oxide) cause cell injury when they are generated in excess or the antioxidant defense is impaired. Both of these processes seem to be affected in schizophrenia. Evidence of excessive oxyradical generation is premised on the assumption that there is increased catecholamine turnover, though there is little direct evidence to support such a view, which is further accentuated by neuroleptic treatment. However, antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, SOD; glutathione peroxidase, GSHPx; and catalase, CAT) which are constitutively expressed in all tissues, are found to be altered in erythrocytes of schizophrenic patients. Also, possible oxyradical-mediated injury to CNS is suggested by increased lipid peroxidation products in cerebrospinal fluid and plasma, and reduced membrane polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the brain and RBC plasma membranes. The brain is more vulnerable to oxyradical-mediated injury,because its membranes are preferentially enriched in oxyradical sensitive PUFAs, and damaged adult neurons cannot be replaced. In addition to their pathological role, oxyradicals have critical physiological functions in neuronal development, differentiation, and signal transduction, all of which may be altered in some cases of schizophrenia. It may be possible to define cellular injury processes, investigate underlying dynamic regulatory molecular processes, and find ways to prevent these injury processes using peripheral cell models, e.g., red blood cells, lymphocytes and cultured skin fibroblasts. Information on the clinical implications of these processes are valuable for developing new and innovative therapeutic strategies for schizophrenia.

Induction of renal growth and injury in the intact rat kidney by dietary deficiency of antioxidants

We report induction of renal growth and injury in the intact rat kidney using a diet deficient in vitamin E and selenium. This diet was imposed in 3-wk-old male weanling rats, and after 9 wk, enhancement of growth, characterized by increased wet weight, dry weight, protein content, and DNA content appeared. Morphometric analyses revealed increased kidney volume, tubular epithelial volume, and mean glomerular volume. There were no differences in nephron number. The animals on the deficient diet displayed increased urinary protein excretion at 9 wk. Renal injury was also characterized by an interstitial cellular infiltrate and diminutions in glomerular filtration rate. Enhanced growth and injury were antedated by increased renal ammoniagenesis. The deficient diet did not induce metabolic acidosis, potassium depletion, glucose intolerance, or elevated plasma amino acid concentration. Enhancement of renal growth and ammoniagenesis by the deficient diet was not suppressible by chronic alkali therapy. Stimulation of renal growth could not be ascribed to increased intrarenal iron, induction of ornithine decarboxylase, or alterations in glomerular hemodynamics. Stimulation of renal ammoniagenesis by dietary deficiency of antioxidants is a novel finding, as is induction of growth and injury. We suggest that increased renal ammoniagenesis contributes to induction of renal growth and injury.