title: Chronic but not acute antidepresant treatment alters serum zinc/copper ratio under pathological/zinc-deficient conditions in mice.
abstract: Depression is the leading psychiatric disorder with a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Clinical studies report lower serum zinc in depressed patients, suggesting a strong link between zinc and mood disorders. Also copper as an antagonistic element to zinc seems to play a role in depression, where elevated concentration is observed. In the present study we investigated serum copper and zinc concentration after acute or chronic antidepressant (AD) treatment under pathological/zinc-deficient conditions. Zinc deficiency in mice was induced by a special diet administered for 6 weeks (zinc adequate diet - ZnA, contains 33.5 mgZn/kg; zinc deficient diet - ZnD, contains 0.2 mgZn/kg). Animals received acute or chronically saline (control), imipramine, escitalopram, reboxetine or bupropion. To evaluate changes in serum copper and zinc concentrations the total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) and flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) was performed. In ZnD animals serum zinc level was reduced after acute ADs treatment (similarly to vehicle treatment), however, as demonstrated in the previous study after chronic ADs administration no differences between both ZnA and ZnD groups were observed. Acute ADs in ZnD animals caused different changes in serum copper concentration with no changes after chronic ADs treatment. The calculated serum Zn/Cu ratio is reduced in ZnD animals (compared to ZnA subjects) treated with saline (acutely or chronically) and in animals treated acutely with ADs. However, chronic treatment with ADs normalized (by escitalopram, reboxetine or bupropion) or increased (by imipramine) this Zn/Cu ratio. Observed in this study normalization of serum Zn/Cu ratio in depression-like conditions by chronic (but not acute) antidepressants suggest that this ratio may be consider as a marker of depression or treatment efficacy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemical Toxicology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Cracow, Poland. katarzyna.mlyniec@uj.edu.pl.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mlyniec
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ostachowicz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krakowska
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Reczynski
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Opoka
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nowak
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016642:Bupropion / Q000494:pharmacology; D015283:Citalopram / Q000494:pharmacology; D003300:Copper / Q000097:blood*; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007099:Imipramine / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009025:Morpholines / Q000494:pharmacology; D000077593:Reboxetine; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D015032:Zinc / Q000097:blood* / Q000172:deficiency*
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D009025:Morpholines; D016642:Bupropion; D015283:Citalopram; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D003300:Copper; D000077593:Reboxetine; D015032:Zinc; D007099:Imipramine