Generation of Human-induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Derived From Dermal Fibroblast of Schizophrenic Patients

Introduction: Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a psychiatric disorder caused by environmental, social, and genetic factors. This phenomenon is a severe neuropsychiatric disorder with a 1% worldwide prevalence. As SCZ is an exclusively human disorder, animal models cannot mimic SCZ pathophysiology. Thus, it is crucial to develop a novel human-based specific model of SCZ to elucidate mechanisms of the occurrence of the disease. In this regard, reprogramming somatic cells to human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) serves as an expensive instrument for modeling SCZ.  Methods: In the present study, we directly reprogrammed the isolated human ear dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) from schizophrenic patients into hiPSCs using some episomal agents in Matrigel-coated plates. The existence of pluripotency markers was confirmed by the immunocytochemistry (ICC) test and alkaline phosphatase protocol. We performed karyotype analysis to ensure the maintenance of the normal chromosomes. Results: Analysis of colonies exhibited intense alkaline phosphatase engagement and Oct4, SSEA4, Nanog, and Tra-1-60. HiPSCs showed normal karyotypes and were potent to differentiate into ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm. Conclusion: Application of hiPSCs derived from schizophrenic patients would be a promising approach to treating SCZ. For checking the behavior of the cells during neurogenesis, we suggest further studies be applied.