title: Long-term sertraline treatment and peripheral biochemical markers in female depressed patients.
abstract: Serotonergic system is implicated in the pathogenesis of depression. Peripheral biochemical markers, platelet serotonin (5-HT) and platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity were determined spectrofluorimetrically at baseline and after 4 and 24 weeks of sertraline (a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)) treatment in 15 female nonsuicidal, nonpsychotic patients with major depression and compared with 15 drug-free healthy women. The aim of the study was to determine the effects of 4 and 24 weeks of sertraline treatment on platelet 5-HT concentration and platelet MAO activity in depressed patients subdivided according to the treatment response into remitters, responders and nonresponders after 4 and 24 weeks of sertraline treatment based on the 70%, 50-69% and <49% reductions in baseline Montgomery-Asperg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scores, respectively. Platelet 5-HT concentration was significantly lower in all depressed patients at baseline than in healthy subjects. Among patients, platelet 5-HT concentration or platelet MAO activity did not differ before treatment. There was no significant correlation between MADRS scores and peripheral biochemical markers. The limitation of the study was in a small number of patients, but its advantage was in a long-term (24 weeks) follow-up of both patients and healthy controls. Our results show that long-term sertraline treatment induced remission and response in 87% patients, decreased platelet 5-HT concentration after 4 and 24 weeks of treatment and decreased platelet MAO activity after 24 weeks and suggest that pretreatment values of platelet 5-HT and platelet MAO might not predict therapeutic outcome to sertraline treatment in female depressed patients.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Molecular Neuropharmacology, Division of Molecular Medicine, Ruder Bosković Institute, P.O. Box 180, HR-10002 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Nela
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pivac
authors.forename: Dorotea
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mück-Seler
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sagud
authors.forename: Miro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jakovljević
authors.forename: Maja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mustapić
authors.forename: Alma
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mihaljević-Peles
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase / Q000097:blood; D012701:Serotonin / Q000097:blood; D020280:Sertraline / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D012701:Serotonin; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase; D020280:Sertraline