Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Sci Rep. 2012;2:667. doi: 10.1038/srep00667. Epub 2012 Sep 19.
Targeted metabolomics provides an approach to quantify metabolites involved in specific molecular pathways. We applied an electrochemistry-based, targeted metabolomics platform to define changes in tryptophan, tyrosine, purine and related pathways in the depressed and remitted phases of major depressive disorder (MDD). Biochemical profiles in the cerebrospinal fluid of unmedicated depressed (n = 14; dMDD) or remitted MDD subjects (n = 14; rMDD) were compared against those in healthy controls (n = 18; HC). The rMDD group showed differences in tryptophan and tyrosine metabolism relative to the other groups. The rMDD group also had higher methionine levels and larger methionine-to-glutathione ratios than the other groups, implicating methylation and oxidative stress pathways. The dMDD sample showed nonsignificant differences in the same direction in several of the metabolic branches assessed. The reductions in metabolites associated with tryptophan and tyrosine pathways in rMDD may relate to the vulnerability this population shows for developing depressive symptoms under tryptophan or catecholamine depletion.
靶向代谢组学提供了一种定量分析特定分子途径中代谢物的方法。我们应用基于电化学的靶向代谢组学平台来定义重性抑郁障碍（MDD）抑郁期和缓解期色氨酸、酪氨酸、嘌呤和相关途径的变化。比较未用药抑郁（n = 14；dMDD）或缓解 MDD 受试者（n = 14；rMDD）的脑脊液生化特征与健康对照（n = 18；HC）。与其他组相比，rMDD 组在色氨酸和酪氨酸代谢方面存在差异。rMDD 组的蛋氨酸水平也高于其他组，且蛋氨酸-谷胱甘肽比值较大，提示甲基化和氧化应激途径。dMDD 样本在评估的几个代谢分支中表现出相同方向的无显著性差异。rMDD 中与色氨酸和酪氨酸途径相关的代谢物减少可能与该人群在色氨酸或儿茶酚胺耗竭下出现抑郁症状的易感性有关。
