The quantitative detection of aripiprazole and its main metabolite by using capillary-electrophoresis.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to establish a feasible and reliable method to measure the level of aripiprazole and its main metabolite, dehydroaripiprazole, using a capillary-electrophoresis (CE) machine. METHODS: Two blood samples were obtained from psychiatric patients hospitalized in Yu-Li Hospital who had been treated with aripiprazole for more than 4 weeks, at least 10 mg/d. Conditions for voltage, temperature and buffer concentration was optimized on a CE machine. RESULTS: The most optimal conditions for CE were 80 mM 2-3% DMSO-phosphate as a buffer under pH = 3.0, 15 KV, 20°C and a detection wavelength of 214 nm. The linear ranges of aripiprazole and dehydroaripiprazole concentration were from 0.5 to 50 ng/mL. CONCLUSION: CE method is a feasible method to measure aripiprazole level with relatively low price compared with other analytical techniques for clinical use.

A positive association between homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance score and the Trp64Arg polymorphism of the ß3-Adrenergic receptor gene in schizophrenia patients in Taiwan.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible association between the Trp64Arg polymorphism of the ß3-adrenergic receptor gene and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index in schizophrenia patients in Taiwan. METHOD: A total of 203 inpatients who met DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia were recruited from a psychiatry center in Taiwan from September 2002 to August 2003. All patients had been treated with antipsychotics for at least 6 months. The genotyping of the Trp64Arg polymorphism of the ß3-adrenergic receptor gene was done by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method with the restriction enzyme MvaI. The HOMA-IR index was used to indicate the degree of insulin resistance. RESULTS: After adjusting for sex, age, and body mass index status, the association between the HOMA-IR index and the Trp64Arg polymorphism of the ß3-adrenergic receptor gene was still positive (regression coefficient = -0.65, P = .033). CONCLUSIONS: The polymorphism of the ß3-adrenergic receptor gene may be related to the development of insulin resistance in chronic schizophrenia patients in Taiwan.