Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T06:29:04.747Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Elevated Serum Levels of Lactoferrin and Eosinophil Cationic Protein in Schizophrenic Patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

R. Hällgren ,
P. Venge  and
B. Wistedt
R. Hällgren
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden
P. Venge
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital, Uppsala
B. Wistedt
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Huddinge Hospital, Huddinge
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

The serum levels of lactoferrin, eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), lysozyme and β2-microglobulin have been measured in schizophrenic patients in an attempt to elucidate the activity and turnover of neutrophil and eosinophil granulocytes, macrophages/monocytes and lymphocytes, respectively. Serum-lactoferrin and serum-ECP levels were significantly (P <0.001) higher in the patient group as compared to healthy controls in contrast to blood cell counts and serum-lysozyme and serum-β2-microglobulin levels which all were within normal limits. The results were not affected by anti-psychotic therapy. A significant correlation was found between serum-ECP and serum-lactoferrin levels which may suggest a common underlying cause of the elevated levels. The findings suggest an increased eosinophil and neutrophil activity and/or turnover in schizophrenia and may have a bearing on the well-known altered inflammatory response associated with this syndrome.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 140 , Issue 1 , January 1982 , pp. 55 - 60
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ashkenazi, A., Krasilowsky, D., Levin, S., Idar, D., Kalian, M., Or, A., Ginal, Y. & Halperin, B. (1979) Immunologic reaction of psychotic patients to fractions of gluten. American Journal of Psychiatry, 136, 1306–9.Google Scholar
Bennet, R. M. & Kokocinski, T. (1978) Lactoferrin content of peripheral blood cells. British Journal of Haematology, 39, 509–21.Google Scholar
Berggard, I. & Bearn, A. G. (1968) Isolation and properties of a low molecular weight β2-globulin occurring in human biological fluids. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 243, 4095–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bock, E., Weeke, B. & Rafaelsen, O. J. (1971) Serum proteins in acutely psychotic patients. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 9, 1—9.Google Scholar
Bock, E. & Rafaelsen, O. J. (1974) Schizophrenia: Proteins in blood and cerebrospinal fluid. A review. Danish Medical Bulletin, 21, 93—105.Google Scholar
Cooper, E. H., Bunning, R., Illingworth, S., Späti, B. & Child, J. A. (1978) Serial measurements of β2-microglobulin, acute phase reactant proteins and the ESR in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Biomedicine, 29, 154–8.Google Scholar
Evrin, P. E., Petersson, P. A., Wide, L. & Berggard, I. (1971) Radioimmunoassay of β2-microglobulin in human biological fluids. Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation, 28, 439–43.Google Scholar
Ferguson, R. M., Schmidtke, J. R. & Simmons, R. L. (1975) Concurrent inhibition by chlorpromazine of concanavalin A-induced lymphocyte aggregation and mitosis. Nature, 256, 744–5.Google Scholar
Ferguson, R. M., Schmidtke, J. R. & Simmons, R. L. (1976) Differential effects of chlorpromazine on the in vitro generation and effector function of cytotoxic lymphocytes. Journal of Experimental Medicine, 143, 232–7.Google Scholar
Forsham, P. H., Thorn, G. W., Prunty, F. T. G. & Hills, A. G. (1948) Clinical studies with pituitary adrenocorticoprotein. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology, 8, 15—21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gajdusek, D. C. (1978) The possible role of slow virus infection in chronic schizophrenic dementia. In Neurochemical and Immunologic Components in Schizophrenia (eds. Bergsma, D. and Goldstein, A. L.). Alan R. Liss, Inc, New York, p 81–7.Google Scholar
Grey, H. M., Kub, R. T., Colon, S. M., Poulik, M. D., Cresswell, P., Springer, T., Turner, M. & Strominger, J. L. (1973) The small subunit of HL-A antigens is β2-microglobulin. Journal of Experimental Medicine, 138, 1608–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grosz, H. J. & Norton, J. (1959) Effect of chlorpromazine on Salmonella enteritidis infection in mice. Science, 129, 784–5.Google Scholar
Hansen, E., Malmquist, J. & Thorell, J. (1975) Plasma myeloperoxidase and lactoferrin measured by radioimmunoassay: Relations to neutrophil kinetics. Acta Medica Scandinavica, 198, 437–48.Google Scholar
Hansen, E. & Karle, H. (1979) Elevated plasma lysozyme in Hodgkin's disease. An indicator of increased macrophage activity? Scandinavian Journal of Haematology, 22, 173–8.Google Scholar
Heath, R. G. & Krupp, I. M. (1967) Schizophrenia as an immunologic disorder 1. Demonstration of antibrain globulins by fluorescent antibody techniques. Archives of General Psychiatry, 16, 1—9.Google Scholar
Horrobin, D. F. (1978) Dopamine supersensitivity, endorphins excess and prostaglandin E1 deficiency; three aspects of the same schizophrenic elephant. Schizophrenic Bulletin, 4, 487–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Horrobin, D. F. & Manku, M. S. (1980) Possible role of prostata-glandin E1 in the affective disorders and in alcoholism. British Medical Journal, 280, 1363–6.Google Scholar
Ignarro, L. J. (1974) Regulation of lysosomal enzyme secretion: Role in inflammation. Agents Actions, 4, 241–58.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Khoroshko, V. K. (1912) Reachtii Zivotnogo Organizma na Vvedenie Nervnoi Tkani (Nevrotoxini, Anaphylaksia, Endotoxini), Moscow.Google Scholar
Manicourt, D., Brauman, H. & Orloff, S. (1978) Plasma and urinary β2-microglobulin in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, 37, 328–32.Google Scholar
Mellsop, G. W., Koadlow, L., Syme, J. & Whittingham, S. (1974) Absence of rheumatoid arthritis in schizophrenia. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Medicine, 4, 247–52.Google Scholar
Metchnikov, I. I. (1901) Kletochnii jadi (cytotoxini). Russian Archives of Pathology, 11, 101–4.Google Scholar
Michalski, J. P., Daniels, T. E., Talal, N. & Gray, H. M. (1975) Beta2-micro-globulin and lymphocytic infiltration in Sjogren's syndrome. New England Journal of Medicine, 293, 1228–31.Google Scholar
Nissen, H. A. & Spencer, K. A. (1936) The psychogenic problem (endocrinal and metabolic in chronic arthritis). New England Journal of Medicine, 214, 576–81.Google Scholar
Olofsson, T., Olsson, I., Venge, P. & Elgefors, B. (1977) Serum myeloperoxidase and lactoferrin in neutropenia. Scandinavian Journal of Haematology, 18, 73—80.Google Scholar
Ruutu, T. (1972) Effect of phenothiazines and related compounds on phagocytosis and killing by human neutrophilic leukocytes. Annates Medicinae Experimentalis et Biologiae Fenniae, 50, 24—36.Google ScholarPubMed
Spitznagel, J. K., Dalldorf, F. G., Leffell, M. S., Folds, J. D., Welsh, J. R. H., Cooney, B. S. & Martin, B. S. (1974) Character of azurophil and specific granules purified from human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Laboratory Investigation, 30, 774–85.Google Scholar
Venge, P., Roxin, L.-E. & Olsson, I. (1977) Radioimmunoassay of human eosinophil cationic protein. British Journal of Haematology, 37, 331–5.Google Scholar
Venge, P., Strömberg, A., Braconier, J. H., Roxin, L.-E. & Olsson, I. (1978) Neutrophil and eosinophil granulocytes in bacterial infection: Sequential studies of cellular and serum levels of granule proteins. British Journal of Haematology, 38, 475–83.Google Scholar
Venge, P., Hällgren, R., Stalenheim, G. & Olsson, I. (1979) Effects of serum and cations on the selective release of granular proteins from human neutrophils during phagocytosis. Scandinavian Journal of Haematology, 22, 317–26.Google Scholar
Venge, P., Dahl, R., Hällgren, R. & Olsson, I. (1980) Cationic proteins of human eosinophils and their role in the inflammatory reaction. In The Eosinophil in Health and Disease (eds. Mahmoud, A. and Austen, K. F.). Grune and Stratton, Inc, New York.Google Scholar
Weissmann, G., Dukor, P. & Zurier, R. B. (1971) Effect of cyclic AMP on release of lysosomal enzymes from phagocytes. Nature (New Biology), 231, 131–5.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wistedt, B. (1981) A depot neuroleptic withdrawal study. A controlled study of the withdrawal of depot Fluphenazine decanoate and depot Flupenthixol decanoate in chronic schizophrenic patients. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, in press.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.