Thiol-Disulfide Homeostasis in Patients with Panic Disorder

Objective: To determine serum thiol/disulfide homeostasis in panic disorder (PD). Methods: Serum native thiol, total thiol, and disulfide levels were measured in the patients with 40 PD patients and 40 healthy subjects. Serum native thiol, total thiol, and disulfide levels were measured with a novel colorimetric, automated method. The thiol-disulfide ratio was also calculated. Results: The native thiol (p < 0.001) and total thiol (p < 0.001) levels, and the native thiol/total thiol (p < 0.001) ratio were significantly lower, whereas disulfide/native thiol (p < 0.001) and disulfide/total thiol (p < 0.001) ratio significantly increased in the PD patient group compared to the control group. The cut-off value was 92.26, 3.83 and 3.56 for native thiol/total thiol, disulfide/native thiol and disulfide/total thiol respectively. Conclusion: This is the first study in the literature to evaluate thiol-disulfide homeostasis in patients with PD. Our results suggest that the disulfide/thiol ratio is significantly greater in panic disorder patients.