title: Salivary 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) in drug-naïve patients with short-illness-duration first episode major depressive disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Central serotonergic dysfunction is reported in major depressive disorder (MDD). Serotonin is primarily metabolized to 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) and its plasma, urinary or cerebrospinal fluid concentrations were extensively studied in depression. No data is available on salivary 5-HIAA (s5-HIAA) in MDD to date.
  
  
  METHODS
  The basal, non-stimulated s5-HIAA concentration was studied in this cross-sectional case-control study on 20 non-late-life adult, short-illness-duration first-episode, treatment-naïve MDD patients and in 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Depressed patients showed a score in the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17) higher than 20.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant difference in s5-HIAA concentration between patients with MDD and controls was observed. In post hoc analysis significantly lower s5-HIAA was seen in non-melancholic MDD (p=0.026) as related to controls whereas no difference was seen between melancholic MDD patients and controls. The concentration of s5-HIAA was not significantly correlated neither with duration nor the severity of depressive symptoms as measured by the total HAMD-17 score.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No difference was observed in baseline s5-HIAA concentration between MDD patients and healthy controls. That observation corroborates with previous MDD studies on 5-HIAA concentrations in bodily fluids where unaltered 5-HIAA concentration is seen in the absence of serotonin-related behaviours including impulsivity, suicidality, and anxiety. Salivary 5-HIAA use remains to be determined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Wiesław Jerzy
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Cubala
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Landowski
authors.affiliation: Radiometer Sp. z o.o., Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chrzanowska
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006897:Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid