title: Modulation of the platelet serotonin transporter by thermal balneotherapy: a study in healthy subjects.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although the beneficial effects of balneotherapy have been recognized since a long time, a few information is available on the biological mechanisms underlying them and the subjective feelings of increased well-being and mood.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The links between the serotonin (5-HT) system and mood prompted us to investigate the 5-HT platelet transporter (SERT), which is considered a reliable, peripheral marker of the same structure present in presynaptic neurons, in 30 healthy volunteers before (t0) and 30 minutes after (t1) thermal balneotherapy with ozonized water, as compared with a similar group who underwent a bath in non-mineral water. MATERIALS AN METHODS: The SERT was evaluated by means of the specific binding of 3H-paroxetine (3H-Par) to platelet membranes. Equilibrium-saturation binding data, the maximal binding capacity (Bmax) and the dissociation constant (Kd), were obtained by means of the Scatchard analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that, while Bmax values did not change in both groups, the Kd values decreased significantly at t1 only in those subjects who bathed in ozonized water.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study, while showing a decrease of the dissociation constant (Kd) which is the inverse of affinity constant, of 3H-Par binding to SERT in all subjects after balneotherapy and not in those bathing in normal water, suggest that SERT modifications may be related to a specific effect of ozonized water and, perhaps, also to the increased sense of well-being.
authors: Department of Psichiatry, Neurobiology, Pharmacology and Biotechnologies, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy. stefanobaroni@teletu.it
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Baroni
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Marazziti
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Consoli
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Picchetti
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Catena-Dell'Osso
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Galassi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001452:Balneology; D001665:Binding Sites; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008900:Mineral Waters; D017374:Paroxetine / Q000378:metabolism; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D014316:Tritium; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D008900:Mineral Waters; D017374:Paroxetine; D050486:Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; D014316:Tritium; C493230:SLC6A4 protein, human