title: S100B and response to treatment in major depression: a pilot study.
abstract: S100B is a protein which exerts both detrimental and neurotrophic effects, depending on its concentration in brain tissue. An increase of S100B in micromolar concentrations is observed in traumatic brain conditions and is associated with poor outcome. Micromolar levels of extracellular S100B in vitro may have deleterious effects. However, in nanomolar concentrations S100B has multiple neurotrophic effects in vitro may in vivo be regarded as a hallmark of neuroprotective efforts. This pilot study addresses the hypothesis that S100B serum concentrations may be of predictive validity for the response to antidepressant treatment in patients with major depression. S100B plasma levels were determined in 25 patients with major depression and 25 matched healthy controls using an immunofluorimetric sandwich assay. S100B plasma levels were significantly higher in major depressive patients than in healthy controls and positively correlated with treatment response after 4 weeks of treatment. In a linear regression model, a significant predictive effect was found only for S100B and severity of depressive symptoms upon admission. These results suggest that neuroprotective functions of S100B counterbalance neurodegenerative mechanisms that are involved in the pathophysiology of major depression and in the response to antidepressant treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Muenster, Albert-Schweitzer-Strasse 11, D-48129 Muenster, Germany. arolt@uni-muenster.de
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Arolt
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Erfurth
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wiesmann
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Missler
authors.forename: Sebastian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rudolf
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kirchner
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rothermundt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D008875:Middle Aged; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D064568:S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D064568:S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit; D009418:S100 Proteins; C579160:S100B protein, human