Increased plasma peroxides and serum oxidized low density lipoprotein antibodies in major depression: markers that further explain the higher incidence of neurodegeneration and coronary artery disease.
BACKGROUND
Major depression is characterized by a decreased antioxidant status, an induction of the inflammatory and oxidative and nitrosative (IO&NS) pathways and inflammatory-neurodegenerative (I&ND) pathways. This study examines two markers of oxidative stress in depression, i.e. plasma peroxides and serum oxidized LDL (oxLDL) antibodies.


METHODS
Blood was sampled in 54 patients with major depression (mean+/-SD age=43.5+/-11.6 years) and 37 normal volunteers (43.6+/-11.1 years). The severity of illness was measured by means of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. The Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Rating Scale was used to measure severity of "psychosomatic" symptoms in depression.


RESULTS
We found significantly higher plasma peroxides (p=0.002) and serum oxLDL antibodies (p=0.0002) in depressed patients as compared to normal controls. There was no significant correlation between both markers and both independently from each other predicted major depression. There were significant correlations between the oxLDL antibodies and the scores on two items of the FF scale, i.e. gastro-intestinal symptoms and headache.


CONCLUSIONS
The results show that major depression is accompanied by increased oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation. These results further extend the IO&NS pathophysiology of major depression. Since increased peroxides and oxLDL antibodies are predictors of coronary artery disease (CAD) and neurodegeneration, our findings suggest that IO&NS pathways are involved in the increased incidence of both CAD and neurodegeneration in depression.
Maes
Michael
M
Maes Clinics, Belgium. crc.mh@telenet.be
Mihaylova
Ivanka
I
Kubera
Marta
M
Uytterhoeven
Marc
M
Vrydags
Nicolas
N
Bosmans
Eugene
E
D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers; D015897:Comorbidity; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D015673:Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D006261:Headache / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000502:physiology*; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*; D010545:Peroxides / Q000097:blood*; D012016:Reference Values; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology
D001323:Autoantibodies; D015415:Biomarkers; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; D010545:Peroxides; C099252:oxidized low density lipoprotein