Activities of Glutathione Reductase, S-Transferase, and Peroxidase in Schizophrenic Patients

It is hypothesized that oxidative stress may be a causative factor in schizophrenia. Activities of glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione S-transferase (Gtr), and glutathione peroxidase (Gpx) in erythrocytes were therefore evaluated in 25 schizophrenic patients and 25 age-and-sex-matched nonschizophrenic controls. The mean age of both groups was 38 years, and the percentages of men, 56. The study and control groups did not differ statistically significantly with regard to marital status or occurrence of schizophrenia in the family. No statistically significant difference was found between schizophrenic and control patients with regard to use of neuroleptic drugs. No differences were found between the groups in terms of erythrocyte GR, Gtr, or Gpx levels.