doi: medRxiv preprint NOTE: This preprint reports new research that has not been certified by peer review and should not be used to guide clinical practice.Higher levels of serum IL-1β and TNF-α are associated with an increased probability of major depressive disorder ABSTRACT Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a serious psychiatric disorder but there are no reliable risk assessment tools for this condition. The actual reason for affecting depression is still controversial. It is assumed that the dysregulated cytokines are produced due to the hyperactivation of the immune system in depression. We aimed to evaluate the possible alteration and the role of serum interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in MDD patients. The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 5 th edition was used to diagnose patients and evaluation of healthy controls (HCs). The severity of depression was measured by the Hamilton depression rating scale (Ham-D). Serum IL-1β and TNF-α levels were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Increased levels of serum IL-1β and TNF-α were observed in MDD patients compared to HCs. These higher levels of peripheral markers were positively correlated with the severity of depression.Moreover, females with higher Ham-D scores showed greater serum IL-1β and TNF-α levels compared to males. Good predictive values were detected for both serum IL-1β and TNF-α levels by receiver operating characteristic analysis. Therefore, the elevated levels of serum IL-1β and TNF-α might be used as risk assessment indicators for MDD.

Objective: We do not have any consistent markers for major depressive disorder (MDD) though various biological factors are involved in the pathophysiology. We aimed to evaluate the serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in MDD patients with or without antidepressant therapy compared to healthy controls (HCs). Results:We assessed serum BDNF levels among three groups: drug-naïve MDD patients (n = 41), drug-treated MDD patients (n = 44), and age-and sex-matched HCs (n = 82). Serum BDNF levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Serum levels of BDNF were detected significantly lower in drug-naïve MDD patients compared to HCs. No significant alterations of serum BDNF levels between drug-treated patients and HCs were identified. Significant negative correlations between serum BDNF levels and Hamilton depression rating (Ham-D) scores were observed in both drug-naïve and drug-treated MDD patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed good diagnostic value for serum BDNF levels in drug-naïve MDD patients with the area under the curve at 0.821. The present study suggests that low serum BDNF levels may be involved in the pathophysiology of MDD. The reduced serum BDNF levels might be used as an early risk assessment marker for major depression.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a serious psychiatric disorder but there are no reliable risk assessment tools for this condition. The actual reason for affecting depression is still controversial. It is assumed that the dysregulated cytokines are produced due to the hyperactivation of the immune system in depression. We aimed to evaluate the possible alteration and the role of serum interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in MDD patients. The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 5th edition was used to diagnose patients and evaluation of healthy controls (HCs). The severity of depression was measured by the Hamilton depression rating scale (Ham-D). Serum IL-1β and TNF-α levels were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Increased levels of serum IL-1β and TNF-α were observed in MDD patients compared to HCs. These higher levels of peripheral markers were positively correlated with the severity of depression. Moreover, females with higher Ham-D scores showed greater serum IL-1β and TNF-α levels compared to males. Good predictive values were detected for both serum IL-1β and TNF-α levels by receiver operating characteristic analysis. Therefore, the elevated levels of serum IL-1β and TNF-α might be used as risk assessment indicators for MDD.

ObjectiveWe do not have any consistent markers for major depressive disorder (MDD) though various biological factors are involved in the pathophysiology. We aimed to evaluate the serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in MDD patients with or without antidepressant therapy compared to healthy controls (HCs).ResultsWe assessed serum BDNF levels among three groups: drug-naïve MDD patients (n = 41), drug-treated MDD patients (n = 44), and age-and sex-matched HCs (n = 82). Serum BDNF levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Serum levels of BDNF were detected significantly lower in drug-naïve MDD patients compared to HCs. No significant alterations of serum BDNF levels between drug-treated patients and HCs were identified. Significant negative correlations between serum BDNF levels and Hamilton depression rating (Ham-D) scores were observed in both drug-naïve and drug-treated MDD patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed good diagnostic value for serum BDNF levels in drug-naïve MDD patients with the area under the curve at 0.821. The present study suggests that low serum BDNF levels may be involved in the pathophysiology of MDD. The reduced serum BDNF levels might be used as an early risk assessment marker for major depression.

Objective We do not have any consistent markers for major depressive disorder (MDD) though various biological factors are involved in the pathophysiology. We aimed to evaluate the serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in MDD patients with or without antidepressant therapy compared to healthy controls (HCs). Results We assessed serum BDNF levels among three groups: drug-naïve MDD patients (n = 41), drug-treated MDD patients (n = 44), and age-and sex-matched HCs (n = 82). Serum BDNF levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Serum levels of BDNF were detected significantly lower in drug-naïve MDD patients compared to HCs. No significant alterations of serum BDNF levels between drug-treated patients and HCs were identified. Significant negative correlations between serum BDNF levels and Hamilton depression rating (Ham-D) scores were observed in both drug-naïve and drug-treated MDD patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed good diagnostic value for serum BDNF levels in drug-naïve MDD patients with the area under the curve at 0.821. The present study suggests that low serum BDNF levels may be involved in the pathophysiology of MDD. The reduced serum BDNF levels might be used as an early risk assessment marker for major depression.