The Effects of Standard Pharmacotherapy on Oxidative Stress Markers in Bipolar Patients: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Bipolar disorder is a complex mental disorder with a multifactorial pathology. Meta-analyses have shown that bipolar disorder is associated with imbalanced oxidative status, which can contribute to disease progression. Therefore, restoring the oxidative imbalance could be beneficial in the treatment of bipolar disorder. The firstline pharmacotherapy for bipolar disorder is lithium, anticonvulsants (particularly sodium valproate), and atypical antipsychotics. In the present review, we sought to describe the effects of these first-line medications on oxidative stress in bipolar patients. We systematically searched databases through January 2022, including the Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Embase, with no language or time restrictions. Eligible articles that assessed oxidative markers in bipolar patients following standard pharmacotherapy were included. According to Newcastle Ottawa and NIH scales, the overall quality of the included articles was low, and their heterogeneity prevented us from performing a meta-analysis. We found that standard medications, especially lithium, can potentially alleviate oxidative imbalance based on a reduction in oxidative markers, such as TBARs and MDA, although randomized clinical trials are needed to unequivocally confirm these results.