From pharmacotherapy to pathophysiology: emerging mechanisms of apolipoprotein D in psychiatric disorders

Apolipoprotein D (apoD) is an atypical plasma apolipoprotein and, based on its primary structure, it is a member of the lipocalin protein superfamily. Lipocalins have been extensively used as disease markers and, accordingly, apoD has become increasingly recognized as an important factor in the pathology of human neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. ApoD expression is increased in the plasma and brains of subjects with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, suggesting that it acts as a marker for disease pathology. ApoD also exhibits complex regulation by antipsychotic drug treatment and may represent a distinguishing mechanism of typical versus atypical drugs. The precise role of apoD in the CNS and disease remains to be elucidated, but recent findings have suggested that it plays an important role in the regulation of arachidonic acid signaling and metabolism providing further support for phospholipid membrane pathology in schizophrenia.