Bernstein HG, Keilhoff G, Laube G, Dobrowolny H, Steiner J. Polyamines and polyamine-metabolizing enzymes in schizophrenia: Current knowledge and concepts of therapy. World J Psychiatr 2021; 11(12): 1177-1190 [PMID: 35070769 DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v11.i12.1177]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Hans-Gert Bernstein, PhD, Emeritus Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Magdeburg, Leipziger Str. 44, Magdeburg D-39116, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. hans-gert.bernstein@med.ovgu.de
Research Domain of This Article
Neurosciences
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Psychiatr. Dec 19, 2021; 11(12): 1177-1190 Published online Dec 19, 2021. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v11.i12.1177
Polyamines and polyamine-metabolizing enzymes in schizophrenia: Current knowledge and concepts of therapy
Hans-Gert Bernstein, Gerburg Keilhoff, Gregor Laube, Henrik Dobrowolny, Johann Steiner
Hans-Gert Bernstein, Henrik Dobrowolny, Johann Steiner, Department of Psychiatry, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg D-39116, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Gerburg Keilhoff, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, University of Magdeburg, Magdeburg D-39116, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
Gregor Laube, Department of Anatomy, Charite, Berlin D-10117, Germany
Author contributions: Bernstein HG designed the concept and wrote the paper; Keilhoff G contributed to the discussion and writing; Laube G contributed to the editing of the manuscript and review of the literature; Dobrowolny H designed Figure 1 and contributed to the discussion; Steiner J contributed to the writing and editing of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors report no conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Hans-Gert Bernstein, PhD, Emeritus Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Magdeburg, Leipziger Str. 44, Magdeburg D-39116, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. hans-gert.bernstein@med.ovgu.de
Received: February 4, 2021 Peer-review started: February 4, 2021 First decision: April 21, 2021 Revised: April 30, 2021 Accepted: November 18, 2021 Article in press: November 18, 2021 Published online: December 19, 2021
Abstract
Polyamines play preeminent roles in a variety of cellular functions in the central nervous system and other organs. A large body of evidence suggests that the polyamine pathway is prominently involved in the etiology and pathology of schizophrenia. Alterations in the expression and activity of polyamine metabolizing enzymes, as well as changes in the levels of the individual polyamines, their precursors and derivatives, have been measured in schizophrenia and animal models of the disease. Additionally, neuroleptic treatment has been shown to influence polyamine concentrations in brain and blood of individuals with schizophrenia. Thus, the polyamine system may appear to be a promising target for neuropharmacological treatment of schizophrenia. However, for a number of practical reasons there is currently only limited hope for a polyamine-based schizophrenia therapy.
Core Tip: This review summarizes the advancements in research on the implications of polyamines and their metabolites for schizophrenia. Evidence from clinical and experimental studies show that some members of the polyamine regulatory system are altered in schizophrenia, but no polyamine-based therapy for schizophrenia is currently available.
