<em>S</em>-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe) for Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Abstract

Objective A systematic review on S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) for treatment of neuropsychiatric conditions and co-morbid medical conditions. Data Sources Searches were conducted between 7/15/2015 and 9/28/2016 by combining search terms for SAMe (s-adenosyl methionine or s-adenosyl-l-methionine) with terms for relevant disease states including (major depressive disorder, MDD, depression, perinatal depression, human immunodeficiency virus, HIV, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, dementia, anxiety, Schizophrenia, psychotic, 22q11.2, substance abuse, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, hepatitis, or cirrhosis). Additional studies were identified from prior literature. Ongoing clinical trials were identified through clinical trial registries. Study Selection Of the 174 records retrieved, 21 were excluded, as they were not original investigations. An additional 21 records were excluded, for falling outside of the scope of this review. Of the 132 studies included in this review, 115 were clinical trials and 17 were preclinical studies. Data Extraction A wide range of studies was included in this review in order to capture information that would be of interest to psychiatrists in clinical practice. Results This review of SAMe in the treatment of major depressive disorder found promising but limited evidence of efficacy and safety to support the use of SAMe as a monotherapy and as an augmentation for other antidepressants. Additionally, preliminary evidence suggests that SAMe may ameliorate symptoms in certain neurocognitive, substance use and psychotic disorders and co-morbid medical conditions. Conclusions SAMe holds promise as a treatment for multiple neuropsychiatric conditions, but the body of evidence has limitations. The encouraging findings support further study of SAMe in both psychiatric and co-morbid medical illnesses.

Urinary Amine and Organic Acid Metabolites Evaluated as Markers for Childhood Aggression: The ACTION Biomarker Study

“…In children, plasma norepinephrine levels were correlated with inefficient conditioned pain modulation response (44). Furthermore, norepinephrine is increased by S-Adenosyl-Methionine (SAMe), which is the primary methyl group donor for several metabolic compounds and cysteine (DNA) methylation (45). SAMe is believed to have a positive influence on multiple neuropsychiatric disorders and due to its role in increasing catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) activity, SAMe has been suggested to reduce aggressive behavior in psychiatric patients (45,46).…”

Effect of S-Adenosyl-L-Methionine on Liver Biochemistry and Quality of Life in Patients with Primary Biliary Cholangitis Treated with Ursodeoxycholic Acid. A Prospective, Open Label Pilot Study

“…Although SSRIs did not prove effective in the treatment of fatigue in PBC in a small randomized study [29], antidepressants are frequently prescribed in fatigued patients with PBC [30]. A recent review strongly suggested that SAMe might prove useful in various psychiatric conditions including not only depression but also mood disturbance or anxiety [31]. In our patients treated with SAMe we observed a significant improvement in the STAI 2 questionnaire, which is a well validated tool for the assessment of anxiety.…”

S-Adenosylmethionine and Superoxide Dismutase 1 Synergistically Counteract Alzheimer’s Disease Features Progression in TgCRND8 Mice

“…SAM, either as drug or nutritional supplement, is widely used for the treatment of liver diseases, depression and ostheoarthtitis, with high tolerability and the very few side effects [ 47 ] limited to mild gastrointestinal upsets, usually resolved after lowering doses. Oral formulations, in the form of coated gastroresistant tablets and capsules, allow SAM irritating activity on the gastric mucosa to be overcome, also hiding its unpleasant taste.…”