2-D DIGE analysis of liver and red blood cells provides further evidence for oxidative stress in schizophrenia.

The molecular disease mechanisms associated with schizophrenia remain largely unknown. Although primarily considered a disorder of the brain, there is evidence of a peripheral component to schizophrenia. In this study, we investigated liver tissue and red blood cells (RBC) from schizophrenia patients and controls using 2-D DIGE proteomic analysis. Fourteen proteins were significantly altered in liver samples from schizophrenia patients (n = 15) compared to healthy controls (n = 15). Analysis of the schizophrenia RBC proteome revealed 8 proteins significantly altered in samples from schizophrenia patients (13 antipsychotic-treated and 7 drug-naïve) compared to controls (n = 20). Six of the altered proteins in the liver and four of the altered RBC proteins are related to oxidative stress. These results corroborate our earlier findings obtained from post-mortem brain studies and substantiate our hypothesis that metabolic alterations leading to oxidative stress are linked to the schizophrenia disease process. Our results also suggest that at least some of the pathological processes associated with the schizophrenia disease process can be traced in peripheral tissue. If peripheral cells can be used as a disease surrogate, promising new investigative avenues could be explored.