An overview of metabolomic and proteomic profiling in bipolar disorder and its clinical value

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a complex psychiatric disease characterized by alternating mood episodes. As for any other psychiatric illness, currently there is no biochemical test that is able to support diagnosis or therapeutic decisions for BD. In this context, the discovery and validation of biomarkers are interesting strategies that can be achieved through proteomics and metabolomics.

Areas covered

In this descriptive review, a literature search including original articles and systematic reviews published in the last decade was performed with the objective to discuss the results of BD proteomic and metabolomic profiling analyses and indicate proteins and metabolites (or metabolic pathways) with potential clinical value.

Expert opinion

A large number of proteins and metabolites have been reported as potential BD biomarkers; however, most studies do not reach biomarker validation stages. An effort from the scientific community should be directed toward the validation of biomarkers and the development of simplified bioanalytical techniques or protocols to determine them in biological samples, in order to translate proteomic and metabolomic findings into clinical routine assays.

KEYWORDS:

• Bipolar disorder
• metabolomics
• proteomics
• biomarkers
• diagnosis

Article highlights

• Bipolar disorder (BD) pathophysiology and molecular mechanisms are not completely elucidated.

• Metabolomic and proteomic profiling are powerful strategies that have the ability to describe a biological system in terms of metabolite and protein content.

• Molecular signatures (biomarkers) can be determined through these strategies, with the potential to improve BD diagnosis, treatment, and outcome.

• Further studies should focus on biomarker validation and development of suitable analytical protocols for their determination in the clinical routine.

Declaration of interests

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Author contributions

HC Ribeiro and FS Zandonadi: original draft – writing and revising. A Sussulini: conception, original draft – writing and revising, critical review. All authors have given approval to the final version of the manuscript.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/14789450.2023.2267756

Additional information

Funding

This manuscript was funded by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo – FAPESP (grant number 2023/01800-2), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – CNPq (grant number 306662/2022-1), and INCT of Bioanalítica (FAPESP 2014/50867-3 and CNPq 465389/2014-7 grant numbers).