Mitochondrial Damage of Lymphocytes in Patients with Acute Relapse of Schizophrenia: A Correlational Study with Efficacy and Clinical Symptoms

OBJECTIVE: Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that schizophrenia is associated with mitochondrial and immune abnormalities. In this pilot case–control study, we investigated the level of mitochondrial impairment in lymphocytes in patients with acute relapse of schizophrenia and explored the correlation between the level of mitochondrial damage and symptoms or treatment response. METHODS: Lymphocytic mitochondrial damage was detected using mitochondrial fluorescence staining and flow cytometry in 37 patients (at admission and discharge) and 24 controls. Clinical symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI-S). RESULTS: The levels of mitochondrial damage in CD3+ T, CD4+ T, and CD8+ T lymphocytes of the patients with schizophrenia at admission were significantly higher than those of the controls (p<0.05) and did not return to normal at discharge (p>0.05). The mitochondrial damage of T cells significantly improved at discharge for responsive patients only, as compared with that at admission (P<0.05). However, no significant difference was found in mitochondrial damage in CD19+ B cells between patients and healthy controls, or between admission and discharge (p>0.05). Furthermore, the reduction in mitochondrial damage of CD3, CD4, and CD8 lymphocytes was positively correlated with the reduction of the score of the PANSS positive scale at discharge (p<0.05), while no significant correlation was found between the level of mitochondrial damage in lymphocytes and the scores of PANSS and CGI-S. CONCLUSION: Acute relapse of schizophrenia might be associated with higher levels of mitochondrial damage in peripheral blood T lymphocytes. The degree of recovery of mitochondrial impairment in the T cells may be used as a predictor of treatment response in schizophrenia. As this is a pilot study, the conclusion still needs further verification in large-scale studies.