Institution: | (1) Harran Üniversitesi, T p Fakültesi, Ara t rma Uygulama Hastanesi, 63100 anl urfa, Turkey;(2) Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Harran, Sanliurfa, Turkey;(3) Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Gaziantep, Gaziantep, Turkey;(4) Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Inonü, Malatya, Turkey |
Abstract: | Abstract. There is a reciprocal regulation of arginase and nitric
oxide synthase (NOS) in L-arginine-metabolizing pathways. Nitric
oxide (NO) may be involved in some psychiatric disorders like
schizophrenia, depression and bipolar affective disorder (BPAD).
To our knowledge, there is no study in the literature in which
the role of arginase, an important part of the arginine
regulatory system affecting NOS activity, was investigated in
BPAD. This study aims to investigate arginase, manganese (Mn)
and total nitrite levels (a metabolite of NO) and their
relationship to the arginine-NO pathway in patients with BPAD.
Arginase activities, Mn and total nitrite levels were measured
in plasma from forty-three patients with BPAD (Type one) and
thirty-one healthy control subjects. Plasma arginase activities
and Mn were found to be significantly lower and total nitrite
level higher in patients with BPAD compared with controls. Our
results suggest that the arginine-NO pathway is involved in the
pathogenesis of BPAD. |