Soluble Fas ligand (sFasL) as a predictor of reduction of general psychopathology in schizophrenia after antipsychotic treatment

Introduction Dysregulation of the apoptotic process is associated with the etiopathogenesis of schizophrenia, which is observed at the brain and peripheral blood levels. A significant negative correlation between the duration of the disease and serum sFasL concentration was demonstrated by other authors. It was shown that an increased rate of apoptosis is more pronounced in neuroleptic-free patients with the first-episode of schizophrenia than in patients with chronic disease. Aim Search for a predictor of good response to antipsychotic treatment based on the analysis of the sFasL plasma level and its relationship with clinical symptoms. Methods Fifty-three patients with chronic schizophrenia and 46 healthy individuals were enrolled in the study. The concentration of sFasL was measured by ELISA. Clinical assessments (PANSS, SANS, SAPS) and blood analyses were conducted three times: during the active phase of disease (at admission), after 4 weeks of pharmacotherapy, and after reaching remission. Results In the schizophrenia group, non-altered levels of sFasL ( P  = 0.1; U Mann-Whitney test), compared to the control, were detected at admission. The initial level of sFasL correlated negatively ( r  = −0.33; P  = 0.04; Spearman's rank) with blood leukocyte count. Despite clinical improvement, no significant changes in the level of sFasL were observed. However, the sFasL level correlated negatively with the PANSS general psychopathology reduction after 4 weeks of pharmacotherapy ( r  = −0.7; P  = 0.04) and after remission ( r  = −0.39; P  = 0.026). Conclusions The results indicate a possible role of sFasL in apoptosis of blood leukocytes and suggest that the reduction of sFasL level can predict level of PANSS general psychopathology after antipsychotic treatment in schizophrenia.