Objectives: Proteome analysis has emerged as a promising strategy to the identification of potential biomarkers and to further confirm the importance of certain pathways in the schizophrenia (SCZ) pathophysiology. Reviewing the results of 13 proteome studies in SCZ brain tissue, we aimed to provide information regarding potential proteins biomarkers as well as information about the pathophysiology of the disease.
Methods and results: Using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and shotgun mass spectrometry, 31 proteins were consistently found differentially expressed in the brains of SCZ patients. The most frequent protein alterations reported in SCZ were related to brain energy metabolism, brain plasticity, and synaptic function, processes that are thought to belong to the core of the biology of this disease. The recurrent identification and validation of inter-related protein clusters, determined in different samples and approaches, strongly reinforces the putative involvement of certain pathways in SCZ.
Conclusions: The availability of reliable markers not only paves the way to the development of new therapeutic strategies but also points out the possibility of their use as peripheral blood markers that may potentially contribute to the early SCZ detection and early therapeutic intervention, both of which can reduce the social and cognitive consequences of the disease.