title: Depression and tetrahydrobiopterin: the folate connection.
abstract: Total biopterin, neopterin and creatinine were measured in spot urine samples from affective disorder patients on lithium therapy and control subjects. Folic acid was also measured in plasma in a sample of the patients. The mean neopterin: biopterin ratio was significantly higher in the 76 patients (3.2 +/- 0.5) than in the 61 controls (1.8 +/- 0.1). In female patients biopterin levels were significantly lower than in controls. In the control groups there was a significant correlation between the molar concentration of neopterin and biopterin. No such correlation was found in the patients. These data indicate that tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) biosynthesis is reduced in this group. A significant positive correlation was found between plasma folate and urinary biopterin. It is suggested that folate deficiency may impair the synthesis of BH4, a cofactor essential for the synthesis of 5-HT and other monoamines that are involved in the pathogenesis of affective disorders.
authors.affiliation: MRC Neuropsychiatry Research Laboratory, West Park Hospital, Epsom, U.K.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Coppen
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Swade
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Blair
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Leeming
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001708:Biopterins / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000652:urine; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000652:urine*; D003404:Creatinine / Q000652:urine; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019798:Neopterin
chemical_list: D001708:Biopterins; D019798:Neopterin; D005492:Folic Acid; D003404:Creatinine; C003402:sapropterin