Prefrontal cortex glutathione S-transferase levels in patients with bipolar disorder, major depression and schizophrenia

Abstract

Antioxidant defence systems have received increasing attention in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders, including: bipolar disorder (BD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and schizophrenia (SCZ). Recently, we reported decreased glutathione (GSH) levels in post-mortem prefrontal cortex from patients with BD, MDD, and SCZ. To explore this further, we evaluated the levels of two glutathione S-transferase (GST) isoforms via immunoblotting: GST Pi and GST Mu. GST Pi levels were not affected in any of the patients groups vs. controls. GST Mu levels were significantly decreased in patients with MDD and SCZ but not BD. Compared to controls, GST Mu levels were not different in BD patients who had been treated with mood stabilizers at the time of death but were significantly lower in those not taking mood stabilizers at the time of death. These data suggest that GST Mu may be a target for mood stabilizers.