Oxidative Stress and Dna Damage in Untreated First-Episode Psychosis in Adolescents

Abstract

Objective: Oxidative stress has been reported to play a role in the psychopathology of schizophrenia, though only a few studies have investigated the relationship between early onset schizophrenia and oxidative stress. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the level of oxidative stress and the presence of DNA damage in first-episode psychosis (FEP) in adolescents. Methods: This study was conducted in the Department of Child Psychiatry of the Dicle University Hospital. It included 20 adolescent patients (age 11-17 years) with psychosis (acute psychosis, schizophreniform disorder, or schizophrenia) according to DSM-IV criteria who had received no previous psychiatric therapy (patient group) and 20 age/gender-matched healthy adolescents (control group). Structured psychiatric interviews [Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia, Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) and Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS)] were conducted on the patients, and the Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) scale was used to evaluate the severity of disease. Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), coenzyme Q (CoQ), and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels were determined using the ELISA method and commercial ELISA kits. Results: The mean age was 14.5 +/- 1.6 years in the FEP group (male-to-female ratio: 8/12) and 14.4 +/- 1.5 years in the control group (male-to-female ratio: 8/12). There were no differences between the patient and control groups in terms of SOD, GPx, or 8-OHdG values (p > 0.05). Conclusions: This study on DNA damage and oxidative stress in FEP in adolescents had a small sample size, and our data suggest that oxidative stress is associated with a chronic disease course rather than being an early sign of early-onset schizophrenia. (C) 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel