title: Increased levels of 5HT2A receptor mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with major depression: correlations with severity and duration of illness.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Neuroimaging, immunologic, and pharmacologic studies have emphasized the role of 5-HT2A and 5-HT3A serotonin receptors in the pathophysiology of major depression.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to measure the relative expression of 5-HT2A and 5-HT3A receptor mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).
  
  
  METHODS
  5-HT2A and 5-HT3A receptor mRNA expressions were examined in PBMCs of 25 medication-naïve-patients with MDD, 25 medication-free MDD patients, and 25 healthy controls. 5-HT2A and 5-HT3A receptor mRNA expressions were measured using real-time quantitative PCR. This study evaluated patients' clinical symptoms using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 items (HDRS) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Relative 5-HTR2A mRNA expression was significantly higher in PBMCs of all MDD patients when compared with healthy controls (Z = -3.875, p < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the relative levels of 5-HTR3A mRNA expression in PBMCs of all MDD patients when compared with healthy controls (Z = -1.328, p > 0.05). MDD patients showed significant correlations between 5-HTR2A mRNA expression and HDRS scores (rs = 0.902, p < 0.001) and BDI scores (rs = 0.878, p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed that depressed patients, irrespective of treatment, have higher 5-HTR2A mRNA levels in PBMCs than healthy subjects. It also provided evidence that 5-HTR2A mRNA levels in PBMCs of MDD patients could be associated with the severity of depression and the duration of the illness.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neuroscience , School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences , Tehran , Iran.
authors.forename: Meysam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amidfar
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychiatry , College of Medicine, Korea University, Ansan Hospital , Ansan , South Korea.
authors.forename: Yong-Ku
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: c Clinical Affective Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Behavioural Neurology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology , Magdeburg , Germany.
authors.forename: Lejla
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Colic
authors.affiliation: d Department of Psychiatry , School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences , Tehran , Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arbabi
authors.affiliation: e Department of Psychiatry , School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Alzahra Hospital , Isfahan , Iran.
authors.forename: Gholamhossein
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mobaraki
authors.affiliation: a Department of Neuroscience , School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences , Tehran , Iran.|f Department of Anatomy , School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences , Tehran , Iran.
authors.forename: Gholamreza
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hassanzadeh
authors.affiliation: c Clinical Affective Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Behavioural Neurology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology , Magdeburg , Germany.|g Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , University of Tübingen , Tübingen , Germany.|h Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy , Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg , Magdeburg , Germany.|i Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences , Magdeburg , Germany.|j Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics , Tübingen , Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Walter
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics*; D044402:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A / Q000235:genetics*; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D044402:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A
keywords: 5-HT2A receptor; 5-HT3A receptor; Major depression; PBMCs; mRNA expression