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A comparison of asymmetric dimethylarginine, arginine, galectin-3, and echocardiographic data with bipolar disorder
Gökçe Kavak Sinanoğlu1, Memduha Aydın2,3, Kürşat Altınbaş2,3
1ALKU Alanya Education and Research Hospital, Department of Psychiatry - Antalya, Türkiye.
Insights
Biomarkers like arginine and galectin 3 may indicate cardiovascular disease risk in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patients. Cardiac structure also differs between these patient groups, suggesting complex interactions.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Cardiology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patients face double the cardiovascular mortality risk compared to the general population.
- Cardiovascular diseases and these psychiatric disorders exhibit a dual effect, with inflammation and oxidative stress contributing to cardiac remodeling and worsening psychiatric symptoms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate potential biomarkers for cardiovascular disease risk in patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
- To compare echocardiographic and serum metabolite profiles between these patient groups.
Main Methods:
- Echocardiography and serum analysis for arginine metabolites (asymmetric dimethylarginine, symmetric dimethylarginine, monomethyl-L-arginine) and galectin 3.
- Study included 80 euthymic bipolar disorder patients and 69 treated schizophrenia patients.
Main Results:
- Significantly higher levels of monomethyl-L-arginine and arginine were observed in bipolar disorder patients versus schizophrenia patients.
- Galectin 3 levels were higher in bipolar disorder patients with psychotic symptoms.
- Significant differences in echocardiographic parameters (diastolic diameter, systolic diameter, interventricular septum, left atrium, posterior wall) were noted between the groups.
Conclusions:
- Arginine metabolites and galectin 3 may serve as crucial biomarkers for cardiovascular disease risk.
- Observed biochemical and cardiac structural changes were not explained by disease severity in this study.
Objective:
Cardiovascular mortality in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patients is more than double that of the general population. There appears to be a dual effect between cardiovascular diseases and schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Inflammation and increased oxidative stress cause cardiac remodeling and increase the severity of psychiatric illness.
Methods:
Echocardiographic imaging was performed simultaneously with serum samples obtained for asymmetric dimethylarginine, symmetric dimethylarginine, monomethyl-L-arginine, arginine and its metabolites, and galectin 3 levels in 80 patients with bipolar disorder who were euthymic for at least 8 weeks and 69 patients with schizophrenia undergoing treatment.
Results:
Monomethyl-L-arginine and arginine levels were significantly higher in bipolar disorder patients compared to schizophrenia patients. Galectin 3 level was significantly higher in bipolar disorder patients with psychotic symptoms compared to schizophrenia patients. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of other parameters. Statistically significant differences were found between bipolar disorder and schizophrenia patients in terms of diastolic diameter (mm), systolic diameter (mm), interventricular septum (mm), left atrium (mm), and posterior wall (mm) values.
Conclusion:
Arginine and its metabolites, asymmetric dimethylarginine, symmetric dimethylarginine, and galectin 3, may be important biomarkers of cardiovascular diseases risk. In this study, changes in biochemical parameters and cardiac structure could not be explained by disease severity.
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