Comparing metabolic syndrome parameters, oxidative stress, cellular metabolism, and gene polymorphism between people with schizophrenia and healthy controls.

Background: Patients with schizophrenia have an increased risk of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, even in the absence of antipsychotic treatment. Oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and genetic polymorphisms of the Methods: We conducted an analytical observational case-control study including 25 patients with schizophrenia (drug-naïve or drug-free) and 25 age- and sex-matched healthy controls, both groups predominantly men, recruited from two Indonesian psychiatric hospitals (2021-2023). Anthropometric (waist circumference, BMI, and blood pressure), metabolic (LDL-c, HDL-c, triglyceride, and HbA1c), and oxidative stress parameters (malondialdehyde [MDA], reduced glutathione [GSH], oxidized glutathione [GSSG], manganese superoxide dismutase [MnSOD], and adenosine triphosphate [ATP]) were measured from the blood sample. Results: Individuals with schizophrenia had significantly lower GSH and GSSG levels than controls but a higher GSH/GSSG ratio. Plasma MDA levels were lower in schizophrenia. High-risk GCLC genotypes were associated with higher MDA levels in schizophrenia. In the schizophrenia group, GSSG showed a moderate negative correlation with LDL-c (r = -0.430, p = 0.032). In the control group, MDA correlated positively with diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.411, p = 0.041) and GSSG correlated positively with triglycerides (r = 0.495, p = 0.012). No significant differences in ATP levels or mitochondrial activity were observed. Conclusion: Schizophrenia is associated with disruption of the glutathione system and early metabolic risk, influenced in part by