Sancassiani Federica, Carta Mauro Giovanni, Primavera Diego, Tusconi Massimo, Urban Antonio, Atzori Laura, Ferreli Caterina, Cantone Elisa, Cuccu Gloria Virginia, Kalcev Goce, Orrù Germano, Cabitza Flavio, Dursun Serdar M, Aviles Gonzalez Cesar Ivan, Fragoso Castilla Pedro José, Giraldo Jaramillo Shellsyn, Cossu Giulia, Scano Alessandra
Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Monserrato Blocco I (CA), 09042 Cagliari, Italy.
PhD Program in Tropical Medicine, Universidad Popular del Cesar, Valledupar 200001, Colombia.
J Clin Med. 2025 Mar 17;14(6):2025. doi: 10.3390/jcm14062025.
Emerging laboratory technologies, such as breathomics, may enhance the early diagnosis of psychiatric disorders, including Bipolar Disorder (BD). This study investigates the detection of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) in exhaled breath as potential biomarkers for BD, comparing VSC levels between individuals with BD, healthy controls, and individuals with non-pathological hyperactivity. A matched case-control study was conducted involving 24 patients with BD and 95 healthy controls recruited at the University Hospital of Cagliari. Controls were selected using a matched-pair design based on age (±5 years) and sex through a block-matching technique to ensure comparability with cases. Participants underwent psychiatric interviews, completed the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ), and had their exhaled breaths analyzed for VSCs using a gas chromatograph (OralChroma™). Controls were selected and randomized for age and sex. Patients with BD exhibited significantly higher levels of methyl mercaptan (CHSH) compared to healthy controls (18.62 ± 5.04 vs. 9.45 ± 18.64 ppb, = 0.022). Among individuals without BD, those with positive MDQ scores showed lower levels of CHSH than those with negative scores (9.17 ± 5.42 vs. 15.05 ± 18.03); however, this difference did not reach statistical significance ( = 0.254), highlighting how the deep connection between some clinical and laboratory aspects needs to be investigated more thoroughly. The results suggest a correlation between oral dysbiosis and metabolic alterations in patients with BD, with CHSH levels being higher in cases compared to controls. Further studies are needed to validate the use of VSCs as potential biomarkers for BD and to investigate their role in individuals with non-pathological hyperactivity.
新兴的实验室技术，如呼吸组学，可能会提高包括双相情感障碍（BD）在内的精神疾病的早期诊断率。本研究调查呼出气体中挥发性硫化合物（VSC）作为BD潜在生物标志物的检测情况，比较BD患者、健康对照者和非病理性多动个体之间的VSC水平。在卡利亚里大学医院进行了一项匹配病例对照研究，纳入了24例BD患者和95名健康对照者。通过区组匹配技术，根据年龄（±5岁）和性别采用匹配对设计选择对照，以确保与病例具有可比性。参与者接受了精神科访谈，完成了心境障碍问卷（MDQ），并使用气相色谱仪（OralChroma™）分析呼出气体中的VSC。对照根据年龄和性别进行选择和随机分组。与健康对照者相比，BD患者的甲硫醇（CHSH）水平显著更高（18.62±5.04对9.45±18.64 ppb，P = 0.022）。在无BD的个体中，MDQ评分阳性者的CHSH水平低于评分阴性者（9.17±5.42对15.05±18.03）；然而，这种差异未达到统计学意义（P = 0.254），这凸显了一些临床和实验室方面的深层联系需要更深入地研究。结果表明，BD患者口腔微生物群失调与代谢改变之间存在相关性，病例组的CHSH水平高于对照组。需要进一步研究来验证VSC作为BD潜在生物标志物的用途，并研究它们在非病理性多动个体中的作用。
