title: The serum zinc concentration as a potential biological marker in patients with major depressive disorder.
abstract: Despite many clinical trials assessing the role of zinc in major depressive disorder (MDD), the conclusions still remain ambiguous. The aim of the present clinical study was to determine and comparison the zinc concentration in the blood of MDD patients (active stage or remission) and healthy volunteers (controls), as well as to discuss its potential clinical usefulness as a biomarker of the disease. In this study 69 patients with current depressive episode, 45 patients in remission and 50 controls were enrolled. The zinc concentration was measured by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET AAS). The obtained results revealed, that the zinc concentration in depressed phase were statistically lower than in the healthy volunteers [0.89 vs. 1.06 mg/L, respectively], while the zinc level in patients achieve remission was not significantly different from the controls [1.07 vs. 1.06 mg/L, respectively]. Additionally, among the patients achieve remission a significant differences in zinc concentration between group with and without presence of drug-resistance in the previous episode of depression were observed. Also, patients in remission demonstrated correlation between zinc level and the average number of depressive episodes in the last year. Serum zinc concentration was not dependent on atypical features of depression, presence of psychotic symptoms or melancholic syndrome, age, age of onset or duration of disease, number of episodes in the life time, duration of the episode/remission and severity of depression measured by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HDRS), and the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Concluding, our findings confirm the correlation between zinc deficit present in the depressive episode, and are consistent with the majority of previous studies. These results may also indicate that serum zinc concentration might be considered as a potential biological marker of MDD.
authors: Department of Affective Disorders, Chair of Psychiatry, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kopernika 21a, 31-501, Krakow, Poland.
authors: Krzysztof
authors: K
authors: Styczeń
authors: Laboratory of Trace Elements Neurobiology, Institute of Pharmacology PAS, Smetna 12, 31-343, Krakow, Poland. sowa@if-pan.krakow.pl.
authors: Magdalena
authors: 0000-0001-5956-7229
authors: M
authors: Sowa-Kućma
authors: Department of Affective Disorders, Chair of Psychiatry, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kopernika 21a, 31-501, Krakow, Poland.
authors: Marcin
authors: M
authors: Siwek
authors: Department of Affective Disorders, Chair of Psychiatry, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kopernika 21a, 31-501, Krakow, Poland.
authors: Dominika
authors: D
authors: Dudek
authors: Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Science and Technology, Mickiewicza 30, 30-059, Krakow, Poland.
authors: Witold
authors: W
authors: Reczyński
authors: Laboratory of Trace Elements Neurobiology, Institute of Pharmacology PAS, Smetna 12, 31-343, Krakow, Poland.
authors: Bernadeta
authors: B
authors: Szewczyk
authors: Laboratory of Trace Elements Neurobiology, Institute of Pharmacology PAS, Smetna 12, 31-343, Krakow, Poland.|Department of Pharmacobiology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Medyczna 9, 30-688, Krakow, Poland.
authors: Paulina
authors: P
authors: Misztak
authors: Department of Epidemiology and Population Studies, Institute of Public Health, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Grzegórzecka 20, 31-531, Krakow, Poland.
authors: Roman
authors: R
authors: Topór-Mądry
authors: Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Medyczna 9, 30-688, Krakow, Poland.
authors: Włodzimierz
authors: W
authors: Opoka
authors: Laboratory of Trace Elements Neurobiology, Institute of Pharmacology PAS, Smetna 12, 31-343, Krakow, Poland.|Department of Pharmacobiology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Medyczna 9, 30-688, Krakow, Poland.
authors: Gabriel
authors: G
authors: Nowak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015032:Zinc / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D015032:Zinc
keywords: Affective disorders; Biomarkers; Depression; MDD; Zinc