Kennedy S H, Brown G M
Eating Disorder Program, Toronto Hospital, Ont., Canada.
Psychiatry Res. 1992 Aug;43(2):177-85. doi: 10.1016/0165-1781(92)90132-m.
Output of melatonin or its main metabolite, 6-sulphatoxy melatonin, provides an index of noradrenergic activity in the pineal gland, which is of interest in major depression and during its treatment with antidepressants. Fifteen female depressed outpatients did not differ in levels of 24-hour urinary 6-sulphatoxy melatonin compared with 13 female control subjects. However, a subgroup of the depressed patients (n = 9) who were treated with desipramine showed a significant elevation of 6-sulphatoxy melatonin levels after 1 week of treatment and a return to baseline levels after 6 weeks. There was also a significant negative correlation between 6-sulphatoxy melatonin levels and symptom severity as measured by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression after 3 weeks of treatment with desipramine. The other subgroup of depressed patients (n = 6) were treated with adinazolam, a benzodiazepine with antidepressant properties. Despite comparable antidepressant effects to those achieved with desipramine, adinazolam was not associated with any apparent change in 6-sulphatoxy melatonin output during 6 weeks of treatment. There was also no correlation between 6-sulphatoxy melatonin levels and symptom severity.
褪黑素或其主要代谢产物6-硫酸氧褪黑素的分泌量可反映松果体中去甲肾上腺素能活性，这在重度抑郁症及其抗抑郁治疗过程中具有重要意义。15名女性抑郁症门诊患者与13名女性对照者相比，24小时尿6-硫酸氧褪黑素水平并无差异。然而，接受地昔帕明治疗的抑郁症患者亚组（n = 9）在治疗1周后6-硫酸氧褪黑素水平显著升高，6周后恢复至基线水平。在用去甲丙咪嗪治疗3周后，通过汉密尔顿抑郁量表测量，6-硫酸氧褪黑素水平与症状严重程度之间也存在显著的负相关。另一组抑郁症患者（n = 6）接受了具有抗抑郁特性的苯二氮卓类药物阿地唑仑治疗。尽管其抗抑郁效果与地昔帕明相当，但在6周治疗期间，阿地唑仑并未导致6-硫酸氧褪黑素分泌量出现任何明显变化。6-硫酸氧褪黑素水平与症状严重程度之间也没有相关性。
