Advanced glycation end products and schizophrenia: A systematic review

• Advanced glycation end products (AGE) are metabolic biomarkers of oxidative stress.
• Recent advances regarding the role of AGE metabolism in schizophrenia are proposed.
• AGE metabolism may contribute to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
• A pathogenetic link may exist between AGE, schizophrenia and cardiovascular risk.
• These latest findings may lead to novel diagnostic and treatment strategies.

Oxidative stress has become an exciting area of research on schizophrenia, which is a highly prevalent condition that affects approximately 1% of the worldwide population. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which are considered metabolic biomarkers of increased oxidative stress, have a pathogenic role in the development and progression of different oxidative stress-based diseases including atherosclerosis, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders and schizophrenia. AGE formation and accumulation as well as the activation of its receptor (RAGE) can lead to signaling through several inflammatory signaling pathways and further damaging effects. This systematic review is based on a search conducted in July 2014 in which 6 studies were identified that met our criteria. In this work, we describe how recent methodological advances regarding the role of AGEs may contribute to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and provide a different approach in the comprehension of the relationship between cardiovascular disease and schizophrenia. These latest findings may lead to new directions for future research on novel diagnostic and treatment strategies.