Comparison between the effects of typical and atypical antipsychotics on oxidative stress status in schizophrenic patients

We determined the specific activities of some enzymatic antioxidant defenses like superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), as well as a lipid peroxidation marker (MDA-malondialdehyde) from the serum of patients with schizophrenia treated with typical and atypical antipsychotics, in comparison with a normal age- matched control group. We observed an increased oxidative stress in schizophrenic patients treated with typical antipsychotics, compared to controls. Moreover, we demonstrated an antioxidant effect of atypical antipsychotics, since these patients showed an increased activity of SOD, compared to control subjects and a slightly decrease of MD