Behnke Alexander, Gumpp Anja M, Krumbholz Aniko, Bach Alexandra M, Schelling Gustav, Kolassa Iris-Tatjana, Rojas Roberto
Clinical & Biological Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, DE-89081, Ulm, Germany.
Institute of Doping Analysis and Sports Biochemistry (IDAS) Dresden, DE-01731, Kreischa, Germany.
Compr Psychoneuroendocrinol. 2021 Jun 21;7:100068. doi: 10.1016/j.cpnec.2021.100068. eCollection 2021 Aug.
Stress-related alterations in the regulation of several endocrine systems, including the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and -gonadal (HPG) axes and the endocannabinoid system are proposed to be involved in the etiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). Therefore, this study examines whether altered concentrations of glucocorticoids, testosterone, endocannabinoids, and related -acylethanolamines accumulated in hair are present in MDD.
Female participants (range: 19-59, = 30.5 years) were recruited, including = 21 with a current MDD episode and = 27 nondepressed controls without any current mental disorder. Weight-standardized samples of 3 cm hair segments were analyzed which equals to three months of retrospectively assessed biomarkers in hair. Concentrations of cortisol, cortisone, testosterone, endocannabinoids (i.e., anandamide [AEA], 2-arachidonylglycerol [2-AG]), and selected -acylethanolamines (i.e., stearoylethanolamide [SEA], oleoylethanolamide [OEA], palmitoylethanolamide [PEA]) were measured using mass spectrometry.
Female MDD patients exhibited lower cortisol and cortisone levels in hair than nondepressed controls, whereas the hair concentrations of endocannabinoids, -acylethanolamines, and testosterone did not differ between the groups.
Our results add to the heterogeneous body of findings on alterations in hair-stored glucocorticoids and endocannabinoids in MDD. As in previous studies, there was no evidence of altered testosterone concentrations in the hair of MDD patients. Larger and longitudinal studies are needed to comprehensively explore the overall picture of endocrine alterations in MDD.
包括下丘脑 - 垂体 - 肾上腺（HPA）轴、下丘脑 - 垂体 - 性腺（HPG）轴以及内源性大麻素系统在内的多个内分泌系统调节中与应激相关的改变被认为与重度抑郁症（MDD）的病因有关。因此，本研究旨在探讨MDD患者头发中积累的糖皮质激素、睾酮、内源性大麻素及相关酰基乙醇胺浓度是否发生改变。
招募女性参与者（年龄范围：19 - 59岁，平均年龄 = 30.5岁），其中包括21名当前患有MDD发作的患者以及27名无任何当前精神障碍的非抑郁对照者。对3厘米长的头发片段进行体重标准化样本分析，这相当于对头发中三个月的生物标志物进行回顾性评估。使用质谱法测量皮质醇、可的松、睾酮、内源性大麻素（即花生四烯酸乙醇胺[AEA]、2 - 花生四烯酸甘油[2 - AG]）以及选定的酰基乙醇胺（即硬脂酰乙醇胺[SEA]、油酰乙醇胺[OEA]、棕榈酰乙醇胺[PEA]）的浓度。
女性MDD患者头发中的皮质醇和可的松水平低于非抑郁对照者，而两组之间头发中的内源性大麻素、酰基乙醇胺和睾酮浓度没有差异。
我们的结果进一步丰富了关于MDD患者头发中储存的糖皮质激素和内源性大麻素改变的异质性研究结果。与先前的研究一样，没有证据表明MDD患者头发中的睾酮浓度发生改变。需要进行更大规模的纵向研究来全面探索MDD患者内分泌改变的整体情况。
