Evaluation of dynamic thiole/disulfite balance and oxidative metabolism in patients with obsessive compulsory disorder

Objective: Although the pathophysiology of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) has not been fully elucidated, it is thought that genetic predisposition and neurobiological factors may play a role in the etiology. One of these biological factors is oxidative stress damage. In this study, we aimed to evaluate this area by comparing some of oxidant parameters in plasma and erythrocytes of OCD patients and controls. Materials and Methods: In the study,47 patients diagnosed with OCD according to DSM-V and 49 Healthy volunteers were included .Sociodemographic data form, clinical global follow-up scale, and Yale Brown obsession-compulsion scale were filled in for all participants. Total Antioxidant Status (TAS), Total Oxidant Status (TOS) were measured in both plasma and erythrocyte, while Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Plasma Thiol/Disulfide measurements were made only in plasma. Results: When the patients included in the study and the control group were compared in terms of plasma TAS, TOS, OSI and MDA values, no statistically significant difference was observed. However, TAS-ERYTHROCYTE levels were lower (p<0.05) and OSI-ERYTHROCYTE levels were higher in the patient group (p<0.05) compared to the healthy controls. While no change was observed in PLASMA TOTAL THIOL levels in the patient group compared to healthy controls, they were significantly higher in terms of PLASMA-NATIVE THIOLE levels (p<0.001). Plasma-DISULFIDE levels of the patients group however,were significantly lower (p<0.05). Conclusions: While TAS TOS plasma values do not change in OCD patients compared to controls, high plasma Native Thiol values and low TAS levels in erythrocytes are new findings that will contribute to the literature in this area.The increase in Native Thiol, an antioxidant molecule in the plasma, can be considered as an effort to compensate for the decreased antioxidant capacity in the erythrocyte in OCD patients. In the light of these results, we think that the evaluation of oxidative stress parameters in both plasma and erythrocyte in psychiatric diseases such as OCD and the measurement of these parameters not only in plasma but also in erythrocyte will give healthier results.The results of our study showed that the dynamic thiol/disulfide balance in OCD patients was in the direction of thiol formation, suggesting an antioxidative reaction. More studies are needed to use thiol/disulfide balance parameters as a diagnostic biomarker in OCD. Keywords: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, oxidative stress, thiol, disulfide, thiol/disulfide balance