Increased Serum GLO-1 Levels Are Associated With the Pathophysiology and Development of Obsessive-Compulsive...

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder indicated by intrusive thoughts and recurrent actions. Glyoxalase-1 (GLO-1) is a metabolic enzyme linked to numerous psychiatric disorders, and its role in OCD remains elusive. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the serum GLO-1 levels in OCD patients and healthy controls (HCs) to explore the potential role of GLO-1 in OCD.

This case-control study was performed among 35 OCD patients and 35 HCs matched by age, sex, and socio-demographic profiles. Diagnosing OCD patients and evaluating HCs was conducted by a professional psychiatrist based on the DSM-5 criteria, and the Y-BOCS was utilized to appraise the severity of OCD symptoms. Measurement of serum GLO-1 levels was performed by applying commercially available ELISA kits.

The results showed significantly increased serum GLO-1 levels (p = 0.032) in OCD patients (15.17 ± 2.68 ng/mL) compared to HCs (8.92 ± 1.01 ng/mL). The elevated serum GLO-1 levels were positively correlated with the symptom severity of OCD (r = 0.724; p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis of serum GLO-1 levels among study participants showed 80.0% sensitivity and 75.3% specificity at a cutoff value of 12.50 ng/mL (AUC = 0.839; p < 0.001).

The findings of this study suggest that elevated serum GLO-1 levels may be involved in the pathophysiology of OCD. Therefore, it could be used as a primary risk appraisal tool for OCD. However, further research is recommended to replicate these findings in large and more homogeneous populations to establish more effective diagnostic and therapeutic interventions for OCD.