title: Blood serum levels of CART peptide in patients with schizophrenia on clozapine monotherapy.
abstract: CART (cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript) is an endogenous inhibitor of food intake. We compared fasting serum CART levels in subjects with schizophrenia on clozapine monotherapy (n=24) with sex- and age-matched healthy controls (n=24). CART levels were higher in the clozapine group (262.76±359.91 vs. 90.40±169.90 pg/mL). CART levels were higher in subjects with metabolic syndrome compared to subjects without metabolic syndrome in the clozapine group (415.63±416.93 vs. 122.62±237.17 pg/mL, n=12 and 12, respectively) and in the whole study group (377.73±401.09 vs. 88.58±172.35 pg/mL, n=16 and 32, respectively). In the control group CART levels were higher in subjects with total body fat lower than the target maximum compared to subjects with total body fat below the target maximum (121.71±154.91 vs. 66.32±182.96 pg/mL, n=14 and 10, respectively). CART levels did not correlate with age, weight, BMI, abdominal, waist and hip circumferences, WHR, blood pressure, laboratory tests, clozapine dose, antipsychotic or clozapine treatment duration, body composition, and markers of insulin resistance in the study group. Further studies are required to confirm whether increased levels of circulating CART are compensatory in response to treatment-induced weight gain and abdominal obesity or a primary feature of schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotic Disorders, Medical University of Lodz, Czechosłowacka 8/10, 92-216 Łódź, Poland. Electronic address: adam.wysokinski@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wysokiński
authors.affiliation: Department of Old Age Psychiatry and Psychotic Disorders, Medical University of Lodz, Czechosłowacka 8/10, 92-216 Łódź, Poland.
authors.forename: Iwona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kłoszewska
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001823:Body Composition / Q000187:drug effects; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D003024:Clozapine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications; D008875:Middle Aged; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects; D000098882:Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript Protein
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D000098882:Cocaine- and Amphetamine-Regulated Transcript Protein; D003024:Clozapine
keywords: CART; Clozapine; Metabolic syndrome; Schizophrenia