Serum Proteomic Analysis Reveals High Frequency of Haptoglobin Deficiency and Elevated Thyroxine Level in Heroin Addicts |
| |
| Authors: | Bing-Ying Zhou Shi-Yan Yan Wan-Lu Shi Zhi Qu Xin Zhao Zhi-Min Liu Xiao-Ping Pu |
| |
| Institution: | 1. National Key Research Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, Peking University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China.; 2. Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China.; 3. National Institute of Drug Dependence, Peking University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China.; Hokkaido University, Japan, |
| |
| Abstract: | Heroin addiction is a chronic, complex disease, often accompanied by other concomitant disorders, which may encumber effective prevention and treatment. To explore the differences in expression profiles of serum proteins in control and heroin addicts, we used two-dimensional electrophoresis coupled to MALDI-TOF/TOF, and identified 4 proteins of interest. Following validation of the increase in serum transthyretin, we assessed serum levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroxine (T4), and observed a robust increase in T4 in heroin addicts compared to controls. In addition, we performed haptoglobin (Hp) phenotyping, and showed that the frequency of Hp0 (serum devoid of haptoglobin) was significantly higher in heroin addicts. Altogether, these findings indicated that: (1) thyroid hormone imbalance is present in heroin addicts; (2) anhaptoglobinemia (Hp0) might a risk factor or a deleterious effect of heroin abuse. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
|
|
