Department of Psychiatry, University of Jena, Philosophenweg 3, D-07740 Jena, Germany.
J Affect Disord. 2010 Aug;124(3):335-40. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2009.12.017. Epub 2010 Feb 8.
Skin flushing after niacin (methylnicotinate, vitamin B(3)) stimulation is a biological marker of availability of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Decreased PUFA levels have been reported in depressive disorder, while add-on supplementation of omega-3 PUFA has been suggested to improve depressive symptoms. This study aimed to clarify whether a disturbance of niacin skin flushing occurs also in depression, and to identify patient characteristics for those who might benefit from PUFA supplementation.
We studied 30 patients with recurrent unipolar depressive disorder during a major depressive episode (treated with antidepressants), and 30 healthy volunteers matched for age and gender. Aqueous methylnicotinate was applied in three dilution steps (0.001M, 0.01M, and 0.1M) onto the inner forearm skin. Skin flushing was assessed in three-minute intervals over 15min using optical reflection spectroscopy.
While there was no overall difference in skin flushing between patients and controls, niacin sensitivity was inversely correlated with severity of symptoms, and flush deficits were significantly associated with depressed mood, feelings of anxiety and somatic symptoms (loss of appetite and weight loss).
Results are suggestive of a subgroup of depressive patients characterised by a specific symptom cluster and disturbed niacin skin flushing.
烟酸（烟碱酸，维生素 B(3)）刺激后的皮肤潮红是多不饱和脂肪酸（PUFA）可用性的生物学标志物。据报道，在抑郁症中存在 PUFA 水平降低的情况，而添加 ω-3 PUFA 的补充被认为可以改善抑郁症状。本研究旨在阐明在抑郁症中是否也存在烟酸皮肤潮红的紊乱，并确定那些可能从 PUFA 补充中受益的患者特征。
我们研究了 30 名患有复发性单相抑郁障碍的患者，他们正处于重度抑郁发作期（接受抗抑郁药物治疗），并匹配了 30 名年龄和性别相同的健康志愿者。将水合烟碱酸以三种稀释步骤（0.001M、0.01M 和 0.1M）应用于内前臂皮肤。使用光学反射光谱法在 15 分钟内每三分钟评估一次皮肤潮红。
尽管患者和对照组之间的皮肤潮红总体没有差异，但烟酸敏感性与症状严重程度呈负相关，潮红不足与抑郁情绪、焦虑感和躯体症状（食欲不振和体重减轻）显著相关。
结果提示存在一种特定症状群和烟酸皮肤潮红紊乱的抑郁患者亚组。
