The following is a summary of “Gut microbiome and metabolism alterations in schizophrenia with metabolic syndrome severity,” published in the July 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Zhao et al.
In patients with schizophrenia (SCZ), antipsychotics exhibit a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS), leading to cardiovascular disease, with a critical need for biomarkers to identify and prevent MetS episodes, as the drug-induced mechanisms remain unclear.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study identifying biomarkers for predicting metabolic syndrome in patients with SCZ undergoing antipsychotic treatment.
They divided 173 participants with SCZ into 3 groups: None (22 participants), High Risk (88 participants), and MetS (63 participants). Potential biomarkers were identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing combined with metabolism analysis. Logistic regression was employed to assess the effects of the genus-metabolites panel on early MetS diagnosis.
The result showed a genus-metabolites panel comprising Senegalimassilia, sphinganine, dihomo-gamma-linolenoylcholine, isodeoxycholic acid, and MG (0:0/22:5/0:0) involving sphigolipid metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, secondary bile acid biosynthesis and glycerolipid metabolism, showed high discrimination efficiency for MetS, with an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.911 compared to the None MetS group (P=1.08E-8). Additionally, Senegalimassilia, 3-Hydroxytetradecanoyl carnitine, isodeoxycholic acid, and DG (TXB2/0:0/2:0) effectively differentiated between subgroups. They were potentially correlated with MetS severity in patients with SCZ, suggesting their utility as biomarkers for early MetS diagnosis.
Investigators concluded that a bacterial genus-lipid metabolites panel offered the strong diagnostic potential for MetS in SCZ, enhancing understanding of the pathogenesis, prevention, and therapy.
Source: bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-024-05969-9
