Systemic concentration of apelin, but not resistin or chemerin, is altered in patients with schizophrenia

It has been suggested that immune-inflammatory processes might be involved in the etiopathogenesis of schizophrenia. Since growing evidence indicates that adipokines strongly modulate the course of immune response and inflammatory processes, it is currently suggested the contribution of those factors in the etiology of schizophrenia as well. The aim of this study was to determine the serum levels of 4 adipokines—apelin, resistin, chemerin, and omentin—in patients with schizophrenia as compared with healthy subjects. Fifty-seven adult patients with schizophrenia and 31 healthy volunteers were included in this prospective study. ELISA was used to measure the serum concentration of resistin, apelin, omentin-1, and chemerin. No difference in the mean concentration of resistin (p=0.20) and chemerin (p=0.30) between patients with schizophrenia and the healthy group was observed. Apelin concentration was significantly (p=0.004) lower in patients with schizophrenia as compared with controls. A significant difference in apelin level between men with schizophrenia and control group (p=0.04) was reported. Apelin concentration was significantly correlated with waist-to-hip ratio, whereas chemerin concentration was significantly correlated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale G score. There exists evidence that apelin might be involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.