Verificação da hipótese auto-imune da esquizofrenia com técnicas e aportamento molecular

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness characterized by the occurrence of delusions, hallucinations, thinking disorders and cognitive deficits. It is known that changes in the neurotransmission process constitute the fundamental pathophysiological mechanism underlying the expression of the symptoms of this disease. As the etiology of schizophrenia has not been elucidated yet, several hypothesis have been presented to guide the research in this direction. Among these hypothesis is the neuroimmunological hypothesis, according to which schizophrenia could be due to an inflammatory process of the central nervous system. The objective of this work is to verify the interaction of neurotransmitters that are normally involved in inflammatory processes (Interleukin-6) and those that are responsible for metabolizing serotonin and dopamine (Catechol-OMethyltransferase and Monoaminoxidase-A), whose excess leads to the symptoms of schizophrenia. Such simulations are performed using in silico structures of the macromolecules involved. The affinity and predictability of the reactions are evaluated by means of molecular docking computational techniques.