Serum nitric oxcide levels and arginase activities in patients with bipolar affective disorder

Bipolar affective disorder (BAD) is a common disease. The physiopatholgical factors that cause BAD are not clear. It was recently hypothesized that the disordered oxidative factors have role in the ethiology.Nitric oxcide (NO), which is synthesized by nitric oxcide synthetase, is found both in central and periferic nervous system. NO acts as an free oxygen radical and a neuro-transmitter. It is estimated that NO has a role in the pathophysiology of many neuropsychiatric disease including bipolar affective disorder. Arginase is mainly located in the liver and cathalizes urea synthesis. This enzyme cathalizes L-arginine which is also used for NO synthesis.Thirty three patients with BAD and 33 healthy controls were included in this study. Serum NO levels and arginase activity were measured before and 1 month after the therapy in patients. The controls? samples were also measured. NO levels were measured by Griess reaction. Arginase activity was detected using modified Gayer and Dabich methods.Serum NO levels were found 192,2±13,7 µmol/L (mean±SEM) 126,1±6,3 µmol/L before and after the treatment, respectively (p<0.001). The mean NO level was 109,5±6,2 µmol/L in controls, and the difference was statistically not significant when compared to post treatment results (p>0.05). Serum arginase activities were found 17,5±1,8 U/L and 10,3±1,4 U/L before and after the treatment, respectively (p<0.001). Arginase activity was 8,5±1,5 U/L in controls and the difference was not statistically significant when compared to post treatment results (p>0.05).Our results suppport that serum NO and arginase have role in the pathogenesis in the BAD.