The role of ghrelin peptide among a sample of Egyptian patients with first episode of major depressive disorder

Abstract

Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a prominent psychiatric disorder that significantly reduces living quality and increases the risk of suicide. Ghrelin influences the central nervous system (CNS) and impacts reward, inspiration, and signaling pathways in addition to acting as an appetite signal. This case-controlled comparative study focused on the association between serum ghrelin levels and MDD. The study was done during September 2021 and March 2022 on 25 people with MDD and 25 healthy controls. SCID-1 and the Ham-D 17 scales were used to evaluate the cases. The GHQ scale was used to evaluate the controls. The serum ghrelin levels of all samples were determined. The findings were presented, and statistically analyzed to perform an accurate assessment. Results There were 50 subjects: 25 cases of MDD and 25 healthy matched controls with non-statistically significant difference to cases as regard gender, marital status, residence, education, age, height, weight and body mass index (BMI). Total serum ghrelin levels among our cases showed a mean value of 4.152, while the controls showed markedly low values, with a mean value of 0.436, showing a statistically significant difference between both groups with p < 0.001. Furthermore, Post Hoc analysis by least significant difference showed a significant difference between mild-severe and moderate-severe groups, although there was no statistically significant difference between mild and moderate groups. Conclusions There was a significant indirect correlation between serum ghrelin level and severity of the illness. Further investigations via longitudinal studies and on larger samples are recommended to settle specific causal paths between the two variables.

Serum Ghrelin and Leptin Concentrations in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder before and after Supplementation with Vitamin D3

“…The published clinical data regarding the levels of ghrelin in individuals with depression remains controversial. While certain studies have indicated that there are no alterations in the levels of ghrelin among depressed patients, others have reported either decreased or increased levels [19,36]. Similar to our results, Barim et al reported that MDD patients had lower serum ghrelin than healthy controls suggesting that ghrelin may be involved in the pathophysiology of MDD [20].…”

“…The relationship between depression and ghrelin was also investigated in humans, and the results were inconsistent. Higher serum ghrelin concentrations were reported in MDD patients compared to healthy controls [11,18,19]. In contrast, other studies reported no differences or lower serum ghrelin concentration in patients with depression compared to controls [20,21].…”

A link between ghrelin and major depressive disorder: a mini review

“…There are several studies on the relationship between ghrelin concentration in blood and depression among adult, unmedicated participants. Some of the authors reported higher ghrelin levels in those diagnosed with depression ( 15 , 40 , 41 ), while others showed decreased ( 42 ) or similar ghrelin levels ( 43 – 45 ) in comparison to healthy participants.…”