Orosomucoid in Schizophrenia

OROSOMUCOID, a glycoprotein extremely rich in carbohydrate, is the principal constituent of the perchloric acid-soluble seromucoid fraction of human serum 1 . In contrast to the seromucoid fraction which contains several proteins and represents more than one biological entity, orosomucoid is homogeneous and behaves as a single protein. With the production of specific chicken antiorosomucoid sera 2,3 , it has become possible to investigate the clinical significance of orosomucoid. Interest in doing so arises from the fact that elevations of seromucoid and total serum glycoprotein-levels occur in a number of diseases; for example, in malignancy, tuberculosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis 4 . Elevations in this chemically defined group of proteins also occur in response to a wide range of non-specific stressors such as fractures, epinephrine injection, and burns 5 .