title: The relationship of Chlamydophila pneumoniae with schizophrenia: The role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) in this relationship.
abstract: Several pathogens have been suspected of playing a role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Chronic inflammation has been proposed to occur as a result of persistent infection caused by Chlamydophila pneumoniae cells that reside in brain endothelial cells for many years. It was recently hypothesized that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) may play prominent roles in the development of schizophrenia. NT-3 and BDNF levels have been suggested to change in response to various manifestations of infection. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate the roles of BDNF and NT3 in the schizophrenia-C. pneumoniae infection relationship. RT-PCR, immunofluorescence and ELISA methods were used. Fifty patients suffering from schizophrenia and 35 healthy individuals were included as the patient group (PG) and the healthy control group (HCG), respectively. We detected persistent infection in 14 of the 50 individuals in the PG and in 1 of the 35 individuals in the HCG. A significant difference was found between the two groups (p<0.05). Twenty-two individuals in the PG and 13 in the HCG showed seropositivity for past C. pneumoniae infection, and no difference was observed between the groups (p>0.05). C. pneumoniae DNA was not detected in any group. A significant difference in NT-3 levels was observed between the groups, with very low levels in the PG (p<0.001). A significant difference in BDNF levels was also found, with lower levels in the PG (p<0.05). The mean serum NT-3 level was higher in the PG cases with C. pneumoniae seropositivity than in seronegative cases; however, this difference was not statistically significant (p>0.05). In conclusion, we suggest that NT-3 levels during persistent C. pneumoniae infection may play a role in this relationship.
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Microbiology, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fatma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kalayci
authors.affiliation: T.C. Health Ministry Bakirkoy Mental Health and Neurology Training and Research Hospital Psychiatry Clinic, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Armagan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozdemir
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Microbiology, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Suat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saribas
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Microbiology, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Pelin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yuksel
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Microbiology, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sevgi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ergin
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Microbiology, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali Mert
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kuskucu
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Psychiatry, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Cana Aksoy
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Poyraz
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Psychiatry, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Balcioglu
authors.affiliation: T.C. Health Ministry Bakirkoy Mental Health and Neurology Training and Research Hospital Psychiatry Clinic, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nihat
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Alpay
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Microbiology, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aykut
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kurt
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Biochemistry, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zeynep
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sezgin
authors.affiliation: T.C. Health Ministry Erenkoy Mental Health and Neurology Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Banu Tufan
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Kocak
authors.affiliation: T.C. Health Ministry, Sisli Etfal Education and Research Hospital, Department of Blood Center, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Rana Sucu
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Icel
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Public Health, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gunay
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Can
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Microbiology, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hrisi Bahar
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Tokman
authors.affiliation: Istanbul University, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, Department of Medical Microbiology, Istanbul, Turkey. Electronic address: bzeybek@istanbul.edu.tr.
authors.forename: Bekir
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kocazeybek
mesh_terms: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D023521:Chlamydophila Infections / Q000150:complications; D016993:Chlamydophila pneumoniae; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D020933:Neurotrophin 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D020933:Neurotrophin 3
keywords: BDNF; Chlamydophila pneumoniae; Esquizofrenia; NT-3; Schizophrenia