Increased Production of the Potent Oxidant Peroxynitrite in the Serum of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Patients

Background: There is growing evidence that oxidative stress may play a principal role in the etiology of psychiatric disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The potent oxidant peroxynitrite (ONOO-) is the final yield of rapid reaction nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide anions. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate whether serum peroxynitrite levels in patients with OCD disorder can be used as an oxidative biomarker Methods: Twenty-one patients with freshly diagnosed OCD and not using any drugs and 19 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. Serum peroxynitrite levels were measured in the control and OCD groups. Results: Serum peroxynitrite values in patients with newly diagnosed OCD were significantly increased compared to the control group (7.968 +/- 2.576 mu mol/L in patients and 4.983 +/- 1.300 mu mol/L in the control) and were significantly correlated with Yale-Brown Obsession Compulsion Scale scores. However, they were not significantly different between male and female groups. Conclusions: Our findings revealed a correlation between increased peroxynitrite level and OCD. Serum peroxynitrite level may be considered an oxidative biomarker for OCD patients in the future. It seems that using drugs with antioxidant properties can be used for the prevention of further damage by oxidants in the treatment of OCD patients.