Objective To study the differences in retinoic acid receptor γ(RARγ) mRNA expression levels in blood leukocytes between antipsychotic-free and antipsychotic-naive schizophrenic patients and healthy control,especially in different genders. Methods Forty-three acute schizophrenic patients who were antipsychotic-naive or antipsychotic-free for at least three months (male = 34, female = 9) and 39 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects (male =25 ,female = 14) were included for blood leukocytes expression of RAR γ mRNA ,using real-time PCR technique. Results Kolmogorov-Smirnov Z analysis showed a significant increase of RARγ mRNA (P =0.041) level in blood leukocytes of pooled schizophrenic patients(0. 027 ± 0. 003) than in the healthy subjects (0. 020 ± 0.002). The elevation was mainly found in the female patients (0. 030 ± 0.003). Within-sex analysis showed that the female schizophrenic patients showed a trend increase (P = 0. 166) of RAR γmRNA expression compared with the male patients (0. 026 ± 0. 001) and exhibited greater RARγ mRNA expression (P = 0. 014)when compared with the female healthy subjects(0. 018 ±0.004). Conclusions The present findings showed an abnormal expression of leukocyte RARγ mRNA level in antipsychotic-free and antipsychotic-naive schizophrenia especially in the female patients. Blood RARγ markers could add to the diagnosis and individualized pharmacotherapy of schizophrenic patients ,especially the female patients.