Socijalna psihijatrija, Vol. 54 No. 2, 2026.
Sažetak sa skupa
https://doi.org/10.24869/spsih.2026.180
Can Serum Protein Aggregates Reveal the Biological Basis of Mental Disorders?
Aristea Pavešić Radonja
; Klinički bolnički centar Rijeka, Krešimirova 42, 51000 Rijeka, Hrvatska; Medicinski fakultet, Sveučilište u Rijeci, Rijeka, Hrvatska
*
Ilijana Stanivuk
; Klinički bolnički centar Rijeka, Krešimirova 42, 51000 Rijeka, Hrvatska; Medicinski fakultet, Sveučilište u Rijeci, Rijeka, Hrvatska
Sandra Blažević Zelić
; Klinički bolnički centar Rijeka, Krešimirova 42, 51000 Rijeka, Hrvatska; Medicinski fakultet, Sveučilište u Rijeci, Rijeka, Hrvatska
Gordana Rubeša
; Klinički bolnički centar Rijeka, Krešimirova 42, 51000 Rijeka, Hrvatska; Medicinski fakultet, Sveučilište u Rijeci, Rijeka, Hrvatska
Nicholas J. Bradshaw
; Fakultet biotehnologije i razvoja lijekova, Sveučilište u Rijeci, Rijeka, Hrvatska
* Dopisni autor.
Sažetak
Introduction: Schizophrenia (SCZ) and major
depressive disorder (MDD) are chronic disorders
whose biological basis remains insufficiently clarified.
Increasing evidence suggests they can be
considered proteinopathies, as insoluble protein
aggregates have been demonstrated in the brain
tissue of affected individuals. Detecting such proteins
in serum could provide the basis for developing
new biomarkers. Objectives: To examine
the presence of aggregation-prone proteins in
the serum of patients with SCZ and MDD, and to
determine their association with clinical severity.
Methods: In this pilot study, serum samples
from 50 patients with SCZ, 50 with MDD, and
50 healthy controls were analyzed. Serum was
fractionated into soluble and insoluble fractions, followed by Western blot analysis of target proteins
(NPAS3, dysbindin-1, TRIOBP-1). Symptom
severity was assessed using the PANSS scale for
SCZ and the HAM-D scale for MDD. Results: Elevated
levels of NPAS3 were found in the serum
of patients with SCZ. Dysbindin-1 and TRIOBP-1
were detected in the insoluble fraction. Approximately
23% of patients with SCZ were positive
for at least one protein, and this finding significantly
correlated with symptom severity according
to the PANSS scale. Based on these results,
an expanded study involving 300 participants
has been initiated, with the aim of validating new
markers and assessing the impact of psychopharmacotherapy.
Conclusion: The results support the
hypothesis of disturbed proteostasis in SCZ and
indicate the potential use of serum aggregates as
biomarkers. The research is continuing in a larger
sample to confirm these findings.
Ključne riječi
schizophrenia; depression; proteostasis; aggregates; biomarkers
Hrčak ID:
352317
URI
Datum izdavanja:
15.6.2026.
Posjeta: 0 *