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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Molecular Psychiatry
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1408175

Decreased free D-aspartate levels in the blood serum of patients with schizophrenia

Provisionally accepted
Martina Garofalo Martina Garofalo 1,2Giuseppe De Simone Giuseppe De Simone 3Zoraide Motta Zoraide Motta 4Tommaso Nuzzo Tommaso Nuzzo 1,2Elisa De Grandis Elisa De Grandis 5Claudio Bruno Claudio Bruno 5,6Silvia Boeri Silvia Boeri 5Maria Pia P. Riccio Maria Pia P. Riccio 7Lucio Pastore Lucio Pastore 1,8Carmela Bravaccio Carmela Bravaccio 9Felice Iasevoli Felice Iasevoli 3Francesco Salvatore Francesco Salvatore 1,10Loredano Pollegioni Loredano Pollegioni 4Francesco Errico Francesco Errico 1,11*Andrea De Bartolomeis Andrea De Bartolomeis 3*Alessandro Usiello Alessandro Usiello 1,2
  • 1 CEINGE Advanced Biotechnologies, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Campania, Italy
  • 2 Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Caserta, Campania, Italy
  • 3 Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Campania, Italy
  • 4 'The Protein Factory 2.0', Dipartimento di Biotecnologie e Scienze della Vita, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, Varese, Italy
  • 5 Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, and Mother-Child, School of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Genoa, Genova, Liguria, Italy
  • 6 Center of Translational and Experimental Myology, Giannina Gaslini Institute (IRCCS), Genoa, Italy
  • 7 Federico II University Hospital, Naples, Italy
  • 8 Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Campania, Italy
  • 9 Department of Medical and Translational Sciences, Child Neuropsychiatry, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
  • 10 University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
  • 11 Department of Agriculture, School of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Schizophrenia (SCZ) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are neurodevelopmental diseases characterized by different psychopathological manifestations and divergent clinical trajectories. Various alterations at glutamatergic synapses have been reported in both disorders, including abnormal NMDA and metabotropic receptor signaling.We conducted a bicentric study to assess the blood serum levels of NMDA receptors-related glutamatergic amino acids and their precursors, including L-glutamate, L-glutamine, D-aspartate, Laspartate, L-asparagine, D-serine, L-serine and glycine, in ASD, SCZ patients and their respective control subjects. Specifically, the SCZ patients were subdivided into treatment-resistant and nontreatment-resistant SCZ patients, based on their responsivity to conventional antipsychotics.Results: D-serine and D-aspartate serum reductions were found in SCZ patients compared to controls. Conversely, no significant differences between cases and controls were found in amino acid concentrations in the two ASD cohorts analyzed.Discussion: This result further encourages future research to evaluate the predictive role of selected Damino acids as peripheral markers for SCZ pathophysiology and diagnosis.

    Keywords: d-serine, D-Aspartate, Treatment-resistant, Antipsychotics, Schizophrenia, Autism Spectrum Disorder

    Received: 27 Mar 2024; Accepted: 17 Jun 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Garofalo, De Simone, Motta, Nuzzo, De Grandis, Bruno, Boeri, Riccio, Pastore, Bravaccio, Iasevoli, Salvatore, Pollegioni, Errico, De Bartolomeis and Usiello. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Francesco Errico, CEINGE Advanced Biotechnologies, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, 80131, Campania, Italy
    Andrea De Bartolomeis, Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, 80138, Campania, Italy

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