Immunoglobulins G of Patients with Schizophrenia Protects from Superoxide: Pilot Results.

This study aimed to evaluate the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of IgG in patients with schizophrenia. After signing informed consent, we included 67 patients with schizophrenia (34 people with acute schizophrenia and 33 individuals were on outpatient treatment in therapeutic remission) and 14 healthy volunteers. IgGs from blood serum were isolated by affinity chromatography. SOD activity of antibodies was determined spectrophotometrically. We have shown for the first time that IgGs from patients with schizophrenia have SOD activity and this activity is an intrinsic property of antibodies. The maximum increase in SOD activity was registered in the group of patients in therapeutic remission compared with acute schizophrenia (p = 0.005) and in healthy individuals (p = 0.001). Based on the data of inhibitory analysis using a specific SOD inhibitor enzyme, triethylenetetramine (TETA), we can assume that the mechanism of the SOD activity of IgG is similar to the mechanism of classical enzyme catalysis. According to the kinetic analysis, the affinity of the IgGs to the substrate is higher than that of the classical SOD enzyme.

IgG-Dependent Dismutation of Superoxide in Patients with Different Types of Multiple Sclerosis and Healthy Subjects.

This work is the first to demonstrate that class G immunoglobulins (IgGs) in patients with multiple sclerosis and healthy individuals have the ability to catalyze the dismutation reaction of the superoxide anion radical. Thus, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity is an intrinsic property of antibodies, which is confirmed by a number of stringent criteria. SOD activity of IgGs in patients with multiple sclerosis statistically significantly exceeds such activity in healthy individuals by 2-4 times. Moreover, the maximum activity has been registered in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. The kinetic characteristics of the SOD reaction of IgGs are several orders of magnitude lower than those for the SOD enzyme but do not differ between patients with multiple sclerosis and healthy individuals. Consequently, abzymes with SOD activity have a lower catalysis rate than that of the enzymes and form a stronger complex with the substrates. Inhibitory analysis showed that this activity is inhibited by classical metal-dependent SOD inhibitors. The activity of IgGs was inhibited by classical metal-dependent inhibitors EDTA and TETA (triethylenetetramine). Also, high catalase activity of IgGs was detected in these patients. We suggest that these abzymes help protect the body from oxidative stress.

DNA-hydrolysing activity of IgG antibodies from the sera of patients with schizophrenia.

It is believed that damage to the membranes of brain cells of schizophrenia (SCZ) patients induces the formation of autoantigens and autoantibodies. Nevertheless, the importance of immunological changes leading to the loss of tolerance to self-antigens in the genesis of SCZ has not been established. The MALDI mass spectra of the IgG light chains of 20 healthy donors were relatively homogeneous and characterized by one peak with only one maximum. In contrast to the healthy donors, the MALDI mass spectra of IgG light chains corresponding to 20 SCZ patients demonstrated, similarly to 20 autoimmune systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, two maxima of a comparable intensity. In addition, the MALDI spectra of the IgG light chains of five SLE and four SCZ patients contained a small additional brightly pronounced peak with remarkably lower molecular mass compared with the main one. DNase autoantibodies (abzymes) can be found in the blood of patients with several autoimmune diseases, while the blood of healthy donors or patients with diseases without a significant disturbance of the immune status does not contain DNase abzymes. Here, we present the first analysis of anti-DNA antibodies and DNase abzymes in the sera of SCZ patients. Several strict criteria have been applied to show that the DNase activity is an intrinsic property of IgGs from the sera of SCZ patients. The sera of approximately 30% of SCZ patients displayed a higher content of antibodies (compared with 37% of SLE) interacting with single- and double-stranded DNA compared with healthy donors. Antibodies with DNase activity were revealed in 80% of the patients. These data indicate that some SCZ patients may show signs of typical autoimmune processes to a certain extent.