Serum levels of GPER -1 in euthymic bipolar patients

Fatma Özlem Orhan,1 Ergül Belge Kurutaş,2 Adem Doğaner,3 Ebru Türker,1 Safiye Şeyma Taner Özcü,4 Meltem Güngör,5 Seyfettin Çakmak1 1Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Kahramanmaraş Sütçüimam University, Kahramanmaras, Turkey; 2Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Kahramanmaraş Sütçüimam University, Kahramanmaras, Turkey; 3Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, Faculty of Medicine, Kahramanmaraş Sütçüimam University, Kahramanmaras, Turkey; 4Department of Bioengineering, Institute of Science, Kahramanmaraş Sütçüimam University, Kahramanmaras, Turkey; 5Vocational High School, Toros University, Mersin, Turkey Introduction: Estrogen and its receptors have been suggested as playing a role in the pathogenesis of bipolar disorder (BD). Estrogen functions through the estrogen receptors alpha and beta and the recently discovered G-protein–coupled estrogen receptor-1 (GPER-1). The aim of this study was to evaluate serum GPER-1 levels in euthymic BD patients. Patients and methods: The study population consisted of 38 euthymic outpatients meeting the criteria for BD in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition and 35 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. Medical histories were obtained and physical examinations and laboratory tests conducted. Results: Serum GPER-1 levels were measured in both patients and controls and found to be significantly higher in the BD patients than in controls. These results were not influenced by the medications in use. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated that GPER-1 may play a role in BD pathophysiology. Keywords: estrogen receptor, sex hormones, GPER-1, bipolar, euthymi