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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Schizophrenia
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1540260
Discovery of Biological Markers for Schizophrenia Based on Metabolomics: A Systematic Review
Provisionally accepted
Gaolei Yao 1
Jingchun Zeng 2,3
Yuan Huang 4 Huipeng Lu 5
Junjiao Ping 5
Jing Wan 5 Tingyun Jiang 5 Fuyuan Deng 1 Chenyun Li 1
Xinxia Liu 5*
Chunzhi Tang 1*
Liming Lu 1*- 1 Clinical Research and Big Data Laboratory, South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acu-Moxi and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- 2 Rehabilitation Centre, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- 3 Guangdong Clinical Research Academy of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
- 4 Shaoguan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shaoguan, China
- 5 Department of Psychiatry and the Research Laboratory, The Third People’s Hospital of Zhongshan, Zhongshan, China
To discover biomarkers for schizophrenia (SCZ) at the metabolomics level, we registered this systematic review (CRD42024572133) including 56 qualified articles, and we identified the characteristics of metabolites, metabolite combinations, and metabolic pathways associated with SCZ. Our findings showed that decreased arachidonic acid, arginine, and aspartate levels, and the increased levels of glucose 6-phosphate and glycylglycine were associated with the onset of SCZ. Metabolites such as carnitine and methionine sulfoxide not only helped to identify SCZ in Miao patients, but also were different between Miao patients and Han patients. The decrease in benzoic acid and betaine and the increase in creatine were the notable metabolic characteristics of first-episode schizophrenia (FESCZ). The metabolite combination formed by metabolites such as methylamine, dimethylamine and other metabolites had the best diagnostic effect. Arginine and proline metabolism and arginine biosynthesis had a clear advantage in identifying SCZ and acute SCZ. Butanoate metabolism played an important role in identifying SCZ, toxoplasma infection and SCZ comorosis. Biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids was also significantly enriched in the diagnosis and treatment of SCZ. This study summarizes the current progress in clinical metabolomic research related to SCZ, deepens understanding of the pathogenesis of SCZ, and lays a foundation for subsequent research on SCZ-related metabolites.
Keywords: Schizophrenia, Metabolomics, metabolite, pathway enrichment, Systematic review
Received: 05 Dec 2024; Accepted: 27 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Yao, Zeng, Huang, Lu, Ping, Wan, Jiang, Deng, Li, Liu, Tang and Lu. 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:
Xinxia Liu, Department of Psychiatry and the Research Laboratory, The Third People’s Hospital of Zhongshan, Zhongshan, China
Chunzhi Tang, Clinical Research and Big Data Laboratory, South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acu-Moxi and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
Liming Lu, Clinical Research and Big Data Laboratory, South China Research Center for Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Medical College of Acu-Moxi and Rehabilitation, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China
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