Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 levels are associated with major depressive disorder

Abstract

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a distressing condition characterized by persistent low mood, loss of interest in daily activities. Many biological, psycho-social, and genetic factors are thought to be involved with depression. The present study aimed to investigate the serum levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in MDD patients to explore its role in the development of depression. This case-control study recruited 114 MDD patients and 106 healthy controls (HCs) matched by age and gender. A specialized psychiatrist diagnosed the cases and evaluated the controls based on the diagnostic and statistical manual for mental disorders, 5th edition. The serum MCP-1 levels were quantified by commercially available enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay kits. The Hamilton depression rating scale (Ham-D) was applied to measure the severity of depression. We observed the decreased levels of serum MCP-1 in MDD patients compared to HCs. A significant negative correlation was obtained between serum MCP-1 levels and Ham-D scores. Also, female MDD patients with higher Ham-D scores exhibited lower serum MCP-1 levels. The receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated the good diagnostic value of MCP-1 with the area under the curve at 0.837. The depression-related alteration of serum MCP-1 may be more complicated than the current assumption and depends on the characteristics of the individual patients. Our study suggests that the serum MCP-1 levels might be involved in the pathophysiology and mechanism of MDD. The present findings, along with the diagnostic evaluation, might be used to assess the depression risk.

Higher serum interleukin‐12 levels are associated with the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder: A case‐control study results

“…In the course of inflammatory events, cytokines start an immunological response in the brain. Several studies indicate a connection between proinflammatory cytokines and MDD 48–53 . IL‐12 is a proinflammatory cytokine that seems to be involved with MDD 34 …”

Increased serum resistin but not G-CSF levels are associated in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder: Findings from a case-control study

“…There is no single reason behind the onset of depression. A complex interaction among genetic, biochemical, nutritional, environmental, and psychological variables causes depression [8][9][10][11][12][13]. However, the pathophysiology of MDD is still inconclusive.…”

“…Several hypotheses are potentially associated with the pathophysiology of MDD. Among them, cytokine alterations [14], inflammatory responses [15], the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation [12], serotonin mechanism [16], catecholamine synthesis [17], and neurotrophic actions [18] are noticeable. Cytokines are proteins in nature, and immune cells secrete them.…”

Attitudes of mental healthcare professionals and media professionals towards each other in reducing social stigma due to mental illness in Bangladesh

“…Mental health is a state of mind which is more than only the absence of mental illness (Proma et al, 2022). Several factors are involved in the development of poor mental health of people across the world (Ali et al, 2020; Anjum et al, 2020; Das et al, 2021a; Islam et al, 2021a, 2021b, 2021c).…”